ISLAMABAD: More than 8,000 Sikh pilgrims are expected to arrive in Pakistan from all over the world to participate in celebrations marking the 552nd birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, the Pakistani information minister said on Saturday.
Every year, thousands of Sikhs travel to Pakistan to participate in Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary celebrations. The main ceremony is held at Gurdwara Janamasthan in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak. This year the celebrations will begin on November 17.
"More than eight thousand Sikh Yatrees from all over the globe are arriving in Pakistan to celebrate the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak," Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Twitter.
"Welcome to the land of Gurus, Sufis and Yugis."
Much of the Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan, including Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, which is also of particular importance to the Sikh community as it was built in tribute to Guru Nanak, who established the town of Kartarpur in 1515. It is also his final resting place.
The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued around 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to participate in the 552nd birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.
During their stay in Pakistan, Sikh pilgrims would pay respect at different Gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Janamasthan and Gurdawara Darbar Sahib.
In November 2019, Pakistan opened a visa-free passage, the Kartarpur corridor, connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib to the border with India and allowing Indian Sikhs to visit the site.
The opening of the corridor on November 9, 2019 marked the first time Indian Sikh pilgrims could enter Pakistan without a visa since 1947.
