Pakistan has completed preparations for the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, as the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to 2,100 Indian Sikh pilgrims for the annual religious festival.
The group of Indian Sikh yatrees will arrive in Pakistan on November 4 via the Wagah border. The main ceremony will take place on November 5 at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
According to the Pakistan High Commission, the visas have been issued for the period of November 4 to 13 under the 1974 Pakistan-India bilateral agreement titled “Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines”. Upon arrival on foot at Wagah, pilgrims will proceed to Nankana Sahib. The celebrations include Bhog Akhand Path Sahib and special religious rituals at local gurdwaras, a day regarded by the Sikh community as one of deep spiritual significance.
The issuance of visas comes at a time when relations between Pakistan and India remain strained and formal borders for travellers largely closed.
Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi, Saad Ahmed Warraich, congratulated the Sikh yatrees and conveyed best wishes for a spiritually enriching pilgrimage. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting religious harmony and facilitating Sikh pilgrims in line with its longstanding policy of supporting interfaith peace and tolerance.
As per the programme, yatrees will travel to Hassan Abdal on November 6 to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib. On November 8 and 9, they will join religious activities at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. The delegation is scheduled to reach Lahore on November 10 to visit Gurdwara Rori Sahib in Eminabad, Gujranwala, and later Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore. The pilgrims will stay in Lahore until November 12 before returning to India on November 13 via Wagah.
According to the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), in addition to Indian pilgrims, hundreds of yatrees from Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia are also expected to attend the celebrations. The ETPB spokesperson said that security, transportation, accommodation and other arrangements have been finalised, with officials from the ETPB, police and district administration deployed at all key locations.
