ISLAMABAD: On the eve of Baisakhi festivities, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi handed over 2200 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend the annual festival, which will be held in Pakistan from April 12–21, 2022.
Visas were issued in accordance with the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines. Each year, a huge number of Sikh Yatrees from India go to Pakistan to participate in different religious festivals and celebrations. The visas given by New Delhi were in addition to the ones given to Sikh pilgrims who came from other countries to take part in these activities.
Pakistan has agreed to fully follow the Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between the two countries. The High Commission’s decision to give religious pilgrims visas was in line with this agreement.
Charge d’Affaires Aftab Hasan Khan expressed his deepest congratulations on the auspicious occasion and wished the pilgrims a fruitful and pleasant yatra. He noted that Pakistan takes enormous satisfaction in protecting historic religious sites and facilitating pilgrimage.
The pilgrims will visit Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib during their tour. They will enter Pakistan on April 12 and depart on April 21, 2022, for India.
