TAXILA: Sikh pilgrims from across the globe on Friday started arriving at Gurdwara Punja Sahib Hassanabdal to celebrate Baisakhi and renew pledges of the Sikhism to exercise harmony and brotherhood enshrined in their religion and the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib.

Over 2,800 Indian Sikh pilgrims from other parts of the world arrived at the gurdwara where the 10th Guru of the series, Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj had settled around 300 years back and preached Sikhism.

According to sources in Evacuee Trust Property Board, a total of 5,890 Sikh pilgrims from India arrived in Pakistan for the festival.

The Indian Sikh pilgrims divided into two groups – the first group comprising 60 buses arrived at Gurdwara Panja Sahib via Wagah border, while the second traveled late last night to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.

This year a large number of pilgrims are participating in the religious festivities and commemorate the 326th birth anniversary of the Khalsa.

The sources said that under the Pakistan-India Religious Protocol Agreement 1974, up to 3,000 Sikh pilgrims are permitted to visit Pakistan for any religious festival. However, the government has issued a total of 6,751 visas this year, granting 3,751 additional visas to pilgrims from Amritsar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and 11 other Indian states as government plans to promote religious tourism while.

This is for the first time that the Pakistan government has issued visas to such a large number of Indian Sikh pilgrims for participation in Baisakhi festival.

The group leader of Indian contingent, Ravinder Singh while talking to newsmen said that Sikh yatrees consider Pakistan as their second home, some of the holiest places of the Sikh religion situated here.

Talking to newsmen, the leader of the contingent of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Jang Bahadur Singh said that every Sikh loves to visit the Gurdwaras located in Pakistan and Sikhs feel blessed when they get the chance to do so.

Deputy Leader Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Bibi Joginder Kaur Bathind said that the authorities concerned had made exceptionally good arrangements for their reception.

“We did not face any problem while getting food according to our religion,” she added.

Daljeet Singh Sarna, a leader of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee, thanked the Pakistani government for issuing visas to such a large number of pilgrims.

Ishandir Singh, a 22-year-old nursing student from Jalandhar was overwhelmed by visiting his religious place in Pakistan for the first time.

He said that there is a misconception about Pakistan and its people “but what I see here is completely different which has been fed to us by media”.

“ETPB has ensured comprehensive arrangements for accommodation, medical facilities, transport, and other necessary services for the Sikh pilgrims,” said Asmat Ullah- caretaker of Gurdwara.

Rawalpindi Division Commissioner Engineer Aamir Khattak, along with Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi Babar Sarfraz Alpa also visited the Gurdwara to review the security arrangements.

Speaking on this occasion, Commissioner Khattak stated: “The Baisakhi festival is not only a symbol of religious harmony but also reflects Pakistan’s commitment to interfaith respect and hospitality. Every effort will be made to provide the best possible facilities to the visiting pilgrims.”

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2025