In a first, Pak govt issues record 7k visas to Indian Sikhs for Baisakhi

For the first time since 1947, Pakistan has issued a record 7,000 visas to Sikh pilgrims for the Khalsa Foundation Day (Baisakhi) at Nankana Sahib and to visit other historical gurdwaras.

- Surjit Singh

AMRITSAR:

The pilgrims will enter Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah international border on Thursday.

According to the Nehru-Liaquat Pact, a bilateral agreement signed between India and Pakistan on April 8, 1950, about 3,000 Sikh pilgrims are allowed to visit Sikh shrines in Pakistan on four religious occasions — foundation day of Khalsa Panth (Baisakhi), martyrdom day of fifth Sikh master Guru Arjan Dev, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and birth anniversary of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak.

In recent years, although the devotees applied for the 10-day pilgrimage visa in large numbers, the Pakistan government restricted the issuance of visas. This is the first time the Pakistan high commission granted visas to almost all the applicants, nearly double the agreed number of 3,000.