ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan High Commission in New Delhi on Saturday announced it had issued 104 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims intending to participate in the upcoming 315th birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib at Shadani Darbar.

The announcement was made by the high commission over micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter).

Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi, an important spiritual site for the Hindu community in Sindh, is hosting the birth anniversary celebrations on Dec 12-23, and is expected to attract a large number of devotees from across the region.

The visa initiative, in acc­­ordance with the Pakis­tan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, is part of Islam­abad’s efforts to facilitate religious tourism and cultural exchanges. Annu­ally, this protocol allows thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India to attend various events in Pakistan.

The high commission said Charge d’ Affaires Aizaz Khan extended heartfelt felicitations to the pilgrims and wished them a safe journey.

Last month, a large number of Sikh pilgrims visited Pakistan to attend Baba Guru Nanak’s 544th birth anniversary celebrations at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib Hasan Abdal.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2023