The Crossbill News Desk
In a historic development, over 6,700 Sikh pilgrims from India crossed into Pakistan on Thursday (April 10) to take part in Baisakhi festivities and commemorate Khalsa Sajna Diwas — the founding day of the Khalsa — on April 14. This marks the highest number of Indian pilgrims visiting Pakistan for any festival in the past five decades, according to Pakistani authorities.
Baisakhi, which celebrates the Sikh New Year and the creation of the Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, will be observed at the sacred Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib. This year marks the 326th anniversary of the Khalsa's founding.
According to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the current batch of pilgrims includes residents from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and 11 other states. SGPC officials said this is the largest group of Indian Sikhs to receive visas for a festival in several years, reported The Indian Express.
As per the India-Pakistan Religious Protocol Agreement of 1974, up to 3,000 pilgrims are permitted to visit Pakistan for religious events. However, the Pakistani government granted an additional 3,751 visas this year, bringing the total to over 6,700 — a move described as “unprecedented.”
The decision was made following a special request by Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), according to ETPB additional secretary Saifullah Khokhar, quoted by Dawn.
Pakistani officials including Minister of State for Interfaith Harmony Khel Das Kohistani, Punjab Minorities Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, ETPB Secretary Farid Iqbal, and Khokhar welcomed the pilgrims at the Wagah Border.
To manage the large numbers, the ETPB divided the pilgrims into two groups. One group visited Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, while the other went to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. Both groups are expected to reach Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib — the birthplace of Guru Nanak — on Saturday.
On Sunday, the pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad. The central Baisakhi celebration will take place on April 14 at Nankana Sahib. The following day, one group will travel to Kartarpur and the other to Panja Sahib.
On April 17, both groups will gather at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore and visit Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Eminabad. The pilgrimage will conclude on April 19, when the devotees return to India.
Baisakhi, which celebrates the Sikh New Year and the creation of the Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, will be observed at the sacred Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib. This year marks the 326th anniversary of the Khalsa's founding.
According to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the current batch of pilgrims includes residents from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and 11 other states. SGPC officials said this is the largest group of Indian Sikhs to receive visas for a festival in several years, reported The Indian Express.
As per the India-Pakistan Religious Protocol Agreement of 1974, up to 3,000 pilgrims are permitted to visit Pakistan for religious events. However, the Pakistani government granted an additional 3,751 visas this year, bringing the total to over 6,700 — a move described as “unprecedented.”
The decision was made following a special request by Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), according to ETPB additional secretary Saifullah Khokhar, quoted by Dawn.
Pakistani officials including Minister of State for Interfaith Harmony Khel Das Kohistani, Punjab Minorities Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, ETPB Secretary Farid Iqbal, and Khokhar welcomed the pilgrims at the Wagah Border.
To manage the large numbers, the ETPB divided the pilgrims into two groups. One group visited Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, while the other went to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. Both groups are expected to reach Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib — the birthplace of Guru Nanak — on Saturday.
On Sunday, the pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad. The central Baisakhi celebration will take place on April 14 at Nankana Sahib. The following day, one group will travel to Kartarpur and the other to Panja Sahib.
On April 17, both groups will gather at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore and visit Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Eminabad. The pilgrimage will conclude on April 19, when the devotees return to India.
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