139 more Indians granted Pak visasto visit temple

ISLAMABAD: Another group of Indian pilgrims, comprising 139 people, has been issued visas by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to visit Shree Katas Raj Dham temple, in Chakwal district, from December 9-15, 2018.

The Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines (1974) governs reciprocal visits by Indian and Pakistani pilgrims to designated shrines in Pakistan and India, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said. Accordingly, a large number of Sikh and Hindu yatrees from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals every year.

Similarly, Zaireen (pilgrims) from Pakistan visit India to pay homage to various Sufi saints at their shrines in India. In November, more than 3800 Sikh yatrees from India were granted visas to visit Pakistan for the 549th birthday anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. During their visit, the historic initiative of ‘Kartarpur Corridor’ was launched and the ground-breaking ceremony on the Pakistan side of the international border was performed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 28, 2018 in the presence of the visiting Sikh Jatha from India. Subsequently, over 220 Indian pilgrims received visas to visit famous Hindu temple, Shadani Darbar, in Sukkur.