The Pakistani government welcomed Sikh pilgrims, celebrate the 549th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government welcomed Sikh pilgrims as they arrived in Pakistan to celebrate the 549th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji from November 21-30 on Wednesday.

“On Eidmiladunnabi Pakistan also welcomes Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, (only our mission in New Delhi has issued more than 3500 visas) for the 549 birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak in Nankana Sahib from November 21-30 2018,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal tweeted.

He further said, “As a progressive, moderate Islamic state we proudly follow the Islamic principles which taught respect for all religions way before the human rights charter came into existence.

On Tuesday, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued over 3800 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, a large number of Sikh Yatrees from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals/occasions every year.

The 3800 visas issued by the Pakistan High Commission are in addition to the visas issued to Sikh pilgrims participating in the event from other countries.

The High Commission issued the largest number of visas in recent years to Sikh Yatrees for Baba Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary celebrations, well beyond the maximum number of 3000, mutually agreed between the two countries for this event, a statement released by the Pakistan High Commission said.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood said that this was a “special gesture” by the Pakistan Government in view of the anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak commencing in earnest from this year.

“We extend profound felicitations to our brothers and sisters celebrating this auspicious occasion and wish all Yatrees a spiritually fulfilling yatra”, Mahmood added.

The issuance of pilgrimage visas to Sikh pilgrims is in line with the Government of Pakistan’s efforts for promoting visits to religious shrines and people-to-people interactions.