Pakistan allows special group of pilgrims for Nankana Sahib

They will begin process for festivities at the Gurudwara of Kartarpur Sahib

July 30, 2019 10:03 pm | Updated June 08, 2020 10:35 pm IST

Sikh pilgrims led by Sardar Gobind Singh Longowal, SGPC president, reached Pakistan on Tuesday.

Sikh pilgrims led by Sardar Gobind Singh Longowal, SGPC president, reached Pakistan on Tuesday.

As part of the celebrations for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Pakistan on Tuesday allowed a special group of Indian pilgrims to enter the country. The group heading for the holy Sikh shrine of Nankana Sahib will begin the festivities that will ultimately lead to the main festival at the Gurudwara of Kartarpur Sahib where both India and Pakistan are building infrastructure for a peace corridor.“Pakistan feels honoured that celebrations of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak by Indian Sikhs are being started from Nankana Sahib, Pakistan,” said a press statement issued by the High Commission of Pakistan on Monday.

The group of 500 pilgrims was granted visa on July 26 as a special provision over the usual number of visas issued under the 1974 India-Pakistan Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974. The statement reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to celebrate the life of Guru Nanak coinciding with the anniversary

India and Pakistan held the third round of formal talks on the religious corridor project on July 14. The corridor is expected to be ready by the end of October and will facilitate the expected large flow of pilgrims to Kartarpur, Nankana Sahib and other important pilgrimage centres.

“The government of Pakistan also believes in the policy of promoting visits to religious shrines and people to people contacts between Pakistan and India,” said the High Commission statement.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.