The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 100 visas to India’s Hindu pilgrims for visiting their religious sites in the country, the embassy said in a statement on Monday.
The group of Indian Hindu pilgrims is visiting Pakistan to participate in the 314th birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib at the historic Shadani Darbar in Hayat Pitafi, a small town of district Ghotki, from November 22 to December 3, 2022.
Shadani Darbar is a 300-year-old temple and a sacred place for Hindu devotees from all over the world. The Shadani Darbar was founded in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, who was born in Lahore in 1708.
Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to attend various religious festivals every year.
Visas issued by the Pakistan High Commission are in addition to the visas granted to Hindu and Sikh pilgrims participating in these events from other countries.
The issuance of pilgrimage visas to Hindu and Sikh pilgrims is in line with the government of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate visits to religious shrines, according to the official statement.
“It is also reflective of Pakistan’s respect for religious places of all faiths and efforts for promoting interfaith harmony.”
