ISLAMABAD, Jun 22 (ABC) :A group of 450 Sikh pilgrims has arrived in Pakistan from India to observe the 183rd death anniversary of the first ruler of the Sikh Empire Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which looks after the holy places of minorities in Pakistan and Pakistan Gurdwara Sikh Prabandhak Committee officials received the Sikh pilgrims at the Wagah Border.
“Some 450 Indian Sikhs arrived here via Wagah Border from India to attend festivities in connection with the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Gurdwara Dera Sahib Lahore. The main event will be held at Dera Sahib on June 29,” ETPB spokesperson Amir Hashmi told the media.
He said that a langar (lunch) was served to all visiting Sikh pilgrims at Wagah before their departure for Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, some 80 kms from Lahore. During their stay, the pilgrims would also visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara.
Hashmi said that the Pakistan government had issued visas to 500 Indian Sikhs. However, 450 turned up, he said.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the founder of the Sikh Empire, who ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. The issuance of visas to Indian Sikhs is covered under the framework of Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.
Every year, a large number of Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals.