More than 220 Indian pilgrims are expected to visit Sukkur to attend religious celebrations, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi announced on Wednesday.

According to a statement by the high commission, visas were issued to the Indian pilgrims who wished to attend the 310th birthday celebrations at Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib, scheduled to be held from December 5-16, 2018, in Sukkur.

The development comes days after Prime Minister Imran Khan performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the “Kartarpur Corridor”.

Under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, a large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year to observe various religious festivals.

Shadani Darbar Tirth, a 300-year old temple in Sukkur, is a sacred place for Hindu devotees from across the world. It is said that the foundation of the temple was laid at Hayat Pitafi Tehsil, Mirpur Mathelo, Ghotki district in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, who was born in Lahore in 1708.

The high commission said that issuance of pilgrimage visas was in line with the government’s efforts for promoting visits to religious shrines and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

On Nov 30, 2018, more than 3,800 Sikh pilgrims returned to India from Pakistan after participating in the 549th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.