ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi granted over 2,800 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for Baisakhi celebrations taking place in Pakistan from April 10 to 19.
In a post on X, the Pakistan High Commission wrote that Sikh pilgrims will travel from India to participate in the annual festivities on the occasion of Baisakhi.
The visas allow devotees to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
These pilgrimages occur under the 1974 Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, according to an official statement by the High Commission.
The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) describes Baisakhi as an ancient religious and cultural festival rooted in the Punjab region. It holds religious significance in Sikhism.
The festival marks the founding anniversary of the Khalsa Panth, established by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699. Government records call it the formal founding day of the Sikh faith. It is also known as Khalsa Janam Din, when the Panj Piare were initiated.
Baisakhi serves as a harvest festival. It marks the ripening of rabi crops, particularly wheat. The festival marks the beginning of the new solar year for the Punjabi community. It includes the Awat Pauni tradition, where people gather in groups to harvest wheat to the beat of drums and folk songs.
In Pakistan, the government facilitates an annual 10-day Vaisakhi Mela pilgrimage for thousands of local and international pilgrims. This includes a quota for Indians under the 1974 Bilateral Protocol, as per the ETPB.
Key rituals feature the Bhog conclusion ceremony of the three-day recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib, ritual bathing called Ashnan, and raising the Nishan Sahib flag.
Main festivities center at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.
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