ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani high commission in India’s capital of New Delhi has issued 114 visas to a group of Indian Hindu pilgrims to facilitate their visit to the Shree Katas Raj Temples, located in the Pakistani district of Chakwal in Punjab, from February 16 to 22, the mission said on Wednesday.

Relations between the two South Asian countries have remained strained since they gained independence from British colonial India in August 1947. India and Pakistan both claim the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir in full, though both administer only parts of it. The nuclear-armed countries have gone to war three times over the past seven decades, twice over Kashmir. 

But despite diplomatic tensions, Pakistan and India have signed several bilateral agreements, including the Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, 1974, to facilitate nationals visiting certain religious shrines in both countries.

“The Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi has issued 114 visas to a group of Indian Hindu pilgrims for their visit to the prominent and sacred Shree Katas Raj Temples, also known as Qila Katas, in Chakwal district of Punjab from 16-22 February 2023,” the statement said.

As per the terms of the protocol, a large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals and other occasions, the statement added.

“In addition, a large number of Indian Hindus are issued visas by Pakistan High Commission on regular basis to visit their families and friends in Pakistan,” it said.

On the occasion of granting visas, Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires Salman Sharif wished the Hindu pilgrims a spiritually rewarding pilgrimage. He underlined that Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious sites and providing all possible assistance to the visiting pilgrims of all faiths.

Last year, Pakistan issued 96 visas to a group of pilgrims to travel to the Shree Katas Raj temples from December 20 to 25.