Lahore/Chandigarh: Despite heightened tension with Indian state, the federal government of Pakistan on Monday (March 11) issued orders to Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi to issue visas to 3,000 Sikh Yatris for the upcoming Vaisakhi Mela.
A report in The Express Tribune reported it with reference to officials that the Evacuee Trust Property Board would also hold a special meeting on March 18 to finalise arrangements for the visiting pilgrims.
The development comes weeks after Pakistan approved ten-day visit visas for the Sikh yatris. The visiting Sikhs will arrive in Pakistan on April 12 in special trains and will be welcomed at the Wagah railway station by Pakistani authorities.
File Photo used for representational purpose
The Sikh yatris will leave for the Panja Sahab Gurdwara in Hasan Abdal the very same night, with the official event scheduled for April 14.
⊕ MUST READ/RECOMMENDED FOR READING:
They will also visit Janam Asthan Gurdwara on April 15 and Sacha Sauda Gurdwara in Farooqabad on April 17. The visiting pilgrims will visit various other gurdwaras in Punjab, including Shiri Dera Sahab in Lahore on April 18 and some in Gujranwala.
The Sikh yatris will also be given a tour of Lahore on April 20 and they will go back to India by April 21.