Pakistan issues visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims for visiting religious sites

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday issued 136 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims for visiting their religious sites in Pakistan.

A group of Indian Hindu pilgrims is visiting Pakistan to participate in the 313th birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib at Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi, Sindh, from December 4-15, 2021. Shadani Darbar, the over three hundred years old temple, is a sacred place for Hindu devotees from across the globe.

The Shadani Darbar was founded in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, who was born in Lahore in 1708.Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974,

thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to celebrate various religious festivals every year. The visas issued by the Pakistan High Commission are in addition to the visas granted to the Hindu and Sikh pilgrims participating in these events from other countries.

The issuance of pilgrimage visas to Hindu and Sikh pilgrims is in line with the government of Pakistan’s efforts for facilitating visits to religious shrines. It’s also reflective of Pakistan’s respect for religious places of all faiths and efforts for promoting the interfaith harmony.