ISLAMABAD: The Minis­try of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has invited applications from citizens wishing to attend the annual urs of Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya and Hafiz Abdullah Shah in India later this year.

Under the quota, 250 pilgrims can attend the urs of Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya, scheduled from Nov 7 to 14 in Delhi, whereas 150 pilgrims can attend the urs of Hafiz Abdullah Shah, to be held from Oct 27 to Nov 3 in Agra.

Interested people can submit applications by April 15. If the number of applications exceeds the limits, balloting would be held on May 16 and 23, the ministry said in a statement.

Only people who have been completely vaccinated against the Covid-19 disease are eligible to apply.

A 1974 bilateral protocol on visits to religious shrines allows Indian and Pakistani nationals to visit certain religious sites in both countries.

Pilgrims from Pakistan are allowed to visit six shrines for the urs, including those of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Ameer Khusrow and Khwaja Nizam­uddin Auliya in Delhi, Sheikh Ahmed Mujaddid in Sirhind, Hafiz Abdullah Shah in Agra, and Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kaliyari in Roorkee.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the religious ministry expressed concerns over the implementation of the protocol, saying that the Indian authorities had deliberately been sabotaging the pilgrimages on various pretexts.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2022