The High Commision of Pakistan in Delhi has issued visas to over 300 Sikh pilgrims from India to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
A special train arranged by the Pakistan Railways will carry the pilgrims from Attari to Pakistan on June 21 to observe the death anniversary of Ranjit Singh at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore from June 21 to June 30.
According to the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, a large number of Sikh yatrees from India visit Pakistan each year to observe various religious festivals.
Earlier in April, 2,000 Sikh pilgrims were issued visas, to travel to Pakistan for the Baisakhi Festival. The Besakhi festival the pilgrims had come to Pakistan for is a long established harvest festival in Punjab. As per BBC, Besakhi is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar.
It is the Sikh New Year festival, which is celebrated on April 13 or 14, and also commemorates 1699, the year Sikhism was born as a collective faith. The issuance of pilgrimage visas was in line with the Pakistani government's efforts to promote visits to religious shrines.
