3,000 Sikh pilgrims to attend Baisakhi festival
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LAHORE: Some 3,000 Sikh pilgrims are expected to come from India to attend Baisakhi festival starting on April 10.
According to the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Sikh pilgrims from India and across the world will participate in the Baisakhi celebrations.
The main ceremony will be held on April 14 at Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasanabdal.
Pilgrims will visit various religious sites, including Nankana Sahib, Farooqabad, Kartarpur, Eminabad and Lahore.
On Monday, an administrative meeting was held at the Punjab Home Department under the auspices of the ETPB, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, to review arrangements for the Baisakhi festival.
Provincial ministers Khwaja Salman Rafique and Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora attended the meeting where Additional Secretary Shrines Nasir Mushtaq gave a briefing on arrangements for the pilgrims.
Addressing the meeting, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora emphasised that all departments must work together to project a positive image of Pakistan in the world.
Salman Rafique said the Punjab government would extend full hospitality to the guests in accordance with their traditions and was making special arrangements to ensure the safety and comfortable stay of the pilgrims.
Nasir Mushtaq said the Sikh pilgrims would be accorded greater respect, love, and hospitality than ever before, and every effort would be made to ensure they feel at home.He said uninterrupted gas and electricity supply would be ensured at all gurdwaras and a zero-tolerance policy would be adopted regarding the security of Sikh pilgrims.
The meeting decided to set up senior citizen counters, bathrooms, and extra FIA counters for pilgrims.
Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2026
