ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi announced on Wednesday it had issued 962 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to participate in an annual festival marking the martyrdom the fifth Sikhism Guru, Arjun Dev.
Pakistan is home to some of the most sacred sites in Sikhism, and its government has taken significant steps in recent years to make them more accessible to devout Sikhs, particularly those from India.
It established the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019, allowing visa-free entry to members of the Indian Sikh community who want to visit the last resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith.
“The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 962 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual festival scheduled on the eve of Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjun Dev Ji to be held in Pakistan from 8-17 June 2024,” the high commission said in a social media post.

 
Apart from the eastern city of Lahore, where Guru Arjun Dev died in the 17th century, the Sikh pilgrims are also expected to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal that is famous for a rock believed to have Guru Nanak’s handprint.
Pakistan says its relaxed visa policy for Sikh pilgrims is part of a broader interfaith approach aimed at promoting religious tourism and cross-border pilgrimages.