Pakistan welcomes Sikh pilgrims for Besakhi festival


Pakistan welcomes Sikh pilgrims for Besakhi festival
Banners in Hindi script welcome Sikh pilgrims on their arrival at Lahore railway station amidst tight security. Photo: Xinhua/Sajjad/IANS.

Hundreds of Sikh pilgrims arrive to a warm welcome in Pakistan as they embark on a ten-day pilgrimage to their holiest sites located in the country

Nearly 2,000 Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan from India at Wagah Railway Station by two trains on Saturday to celebrate the ongoing Besakhi festival, an annual event that marks the arrival of the harvest season.

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi had issued visas to 2,000 pilgrims for a ten-day visit. Many pilgrims have also arrived in Pakistan from other countries including Canada and the UK.

Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Siddqul Farooq along with other officials received the pilgrims at the train station. One of the Sikhs was not allowed to enter the country as his visa documents were not valid, said ETPB Deputy Secretary Azhar Sulehri.

Lahore, April 11, 2015: Sikh pilgrims arrive at Wagah Railway Station. Photo: Xinhua/Sajjad/IANS.

Lahore, April 11, 2015: Sikh pilgrims arrive at Wagah Railway Station. Photo: Xinhua/Sajjad/IANS.

“Whenever we come to Pakistan, we feel it our second home,” Yatrees’ group leader Suran Singh Gill told reporters. He added they had brought a message of peace, love, brotherhood, friendship and harmony for Pakistanis.

The pilgrims thanked ETPB authorities and the Pakistani government for facilitating them. “We have great respect for Pakistan as it is the soil of our religious and spiritual gurus and leaders,” said another pilgrim Sardar Jangjeet Singh Behlar.

After their arrival, the yatrees departed for Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal where the festival’s main ceremony will be held April 14. They will go to Nankana Sahib on April 15 by train. On April 16, pilgrims will depart for Sacha Soda in Farooqabad and return to Lahore the next day to visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib.

They will also visit Gurdwaras Rohri Sahib and Darbar Sahib in Gujranwala and Narowal and return to Lahore on April 18, where the Dayal Singh Research and Cultural Centre is planning a reception for them at Lahore Fort.

They will leave Lahore for India on April 20.

ETPD officials said that pilgrims are being provided A-category security, including from the Rangers, police and Railway police at the train station.

The first batch of Sikh pilgrims wave as they arrive at Wagah Railway Station, Lahore on April 11, 2015. Photo: Xinhua/Sajjad/IANS.

The first batch of Sikh pilgrims wave as they arrive at Wagah Railway Station, Lahore on April 11, 2015. Photo: Xinhua/Sajjad/IANS.

Sikh pilgrims pass by a welcome banner at the Lahore railway station. Photo: Xinhua/Sajjad/IANS.

Sikh pilgrims pass by a welcome banner at the Lahore railway station. Photo: Xinhua/Sajjad/IANS.




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