ISLAMABAD: Around 846 Indian Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore this week to attend an annual festival marking the death anniversary of the fifth Sikhism Guru Arjun Dev, state-run media reported.

Led by Sikh scholar and professor Sardar Gurbachan Singh, the Sikh pilgrims arrived in Lahore on Saturday via the Wagah border to participate in the religious festival known as Jor Mela.

Apart from Lahore, where Guru Arjun Dev died in the 17th century, Sikh pilgrims are also expected to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal city which is famous for a rock believed to have Guru Nanak’s handprint.

“Punjab Minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, along with Additional Secretary Shrines Saifullah Khokhar, welcomed the guests,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said.

Speaking to the media, Arora said Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board has made elaborate arrangements for Sikh pilgrims who had arrived in Pakistan from India and other parts of the world.

“He said Yatrees [pilgrims] are being provided accommodation, security, medical care, travel, and all other necessary facilities,” Radio Pakistan said.

Pakistan’s high commission in India said on Thursday it had issued visas to 962 Indian Sikh pilgrims for the Jor Mela festival. 

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.

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.