LAHORE: Over 2,550 Sikh pilgrims from India arrived right here on Thursday to take part in festivities marking the 555th start anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Evacuee Belief Property Board (ETPB) Secretary Fareed Iqbal, Further Secretary Shrines Saifullah Khokhar, and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Ramesh Singh Arora — additionally a minority minister in Maryam Nawaz’s cupboard in Punjab — welcomed the pilgrims on the Wagah border.
Khokhar stated masks can be supplied to all pilgrims to guard them from heavy smog. He stated extraordinary safety preparations have been made to make sure the pilgrims’ security. “As many as 2,559 Indian Sikhs arrived in Lahore as we speak by way of particular trains. They have been transported to Nankana Sahib on particular buses,” ETPB spokesperson Ghulam Mohayuddin advised PTI.
The primary occasion celebrating Baba Guru Nanak’s start anniversary can be held on Friday at Gurdwara Janamasthan in Nankana Sahib, roughly 80 km from Lahore. Sikhs from different international locations can even attend, alongside native attendees, federal and provincial ministers, and officers from ETPB and PSGPC, Mohayuddin stated.
Throughout their keep, pilgrims can be supplied with lodging, meals, transportation, and medical amenities, he stated. Pakistan has issued a complete of three,000 visas to Indian Sikhs for the occasion. Chatting with the media on the Wagah Border, Delhi Gurdwara Administration Committee chief Harjeet Singh Pappa expressed his gratitude to the Pakistani authorities for the nice and cozy reception.
“We really feel immense pleasure being right here,” he stated. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Gurnam Singh Jassal stated: “We’re grateful for the love and respect we obtain right here.” PSGPC president Arora stated the welcome prolonged to the pilgrims displays Pakistan’s respect and affection for its minorities.
“The Sikh pilgrims from India will carry cherished recollections again to their homeland,” he stated.
Throughout their 10-day keep, the Indian Sikhs can even go to a number of holy websites, together with Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad, Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal, Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Eminabad by way of Gujranwala, and Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore. The pilgrims will return to India on November 23 by way of the Wagah Border.
