ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday promised his government at the center and provincial authorities in Pakistan would facilitate Sikh pilgrims visiting the country to mark the Baisakhi festival. 

More than 3,000 Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan from India on Saturday to celebrate the Baisakhi harvest festival. Sikhs are a small minority based in the Punjab region divided between Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, but several Sikh holy sites ended up being in Pakistan after the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947.

Baisakhi, the spring harvest festival primarily celebrated in Punjab and northern India, marks the beginning of the Sikh new year and symbolizes spiritual rejuvenation, with celebrations centered around Gurdwara Panja Sahib in the Pakistani city of Hasan Abdal, some 45 kilometers northwest of Islamabad.

“The government of Pakistan and all provincial governments are ensuring that Sikh pilgrims from all over the world who are visiting Pakistan’s religious sites to perform Baisakhi rituals, are provided all facilities,” Sharif said in a message shared by his office on X. 

The Pakistani prime minister said Baisakhi is a festival of love, affection and happiness, adding that Pakistan is a blend of different faiths and cultures. 

“On the occasion of Baisakhi, I want to send you all a message of peace and love,” Sharif said. “Let’s play our role in creating a peaceful world together.”

The shrine in Hasan Abdal is one of Sikhism’s holiest sites and it is believed that the handprint of the founder of the religion, Guru Nanak, is imprinted on a boulder there.

Baisakhi is also meant to mark the day when Gobind Singh, the 10th and final guru of Sikhism, established the discipline of Khalsa, through which the faithful can aspire to the ultimate state of purity.

During their stay in Pakistan, Sikh pilgrims will visit their religious places in Hasan Abdal, Nankana Sahib, Narowal, Eminabad and Badami Bagh in Lahore, according to Pakistani state media.