136 Indian pilgrims to visit 300-year-old Hindu temple in Pakistan
Granting of visas ‘reflects Pakistan’s respect for religious places of all faiths’
Islamabad: Over a hundred Hindu devotees will be arriving in Pakistan for an annual religious celebration as Pakistan High Commission has issued 136 visas to Indian pilgrims, officials said.
The group of Indian Hindu pilgrims is visiting Pakistan to participate in the 313th birth anniversary festivities of Hindu saint Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib. The annual celebration will take place at Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi in Pakistan’s Sindh province from December 4-15, 2021, according to the official statement.
The 300-year-old temple is a sacred place for Hindu devotees all across the world. Shadani Darbar was founded in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, who was born in Lahore in 1708.
Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said 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.” The gesture also reflects “Pakistan’s respect for religious places of all faiths and efforts for promoting interfaith harmony.”
Thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year to attend religious festivals under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.
Last month, nearly 3,000 Sikh pilgrims from neighbouring India visited Pakistan to celebrate the 552nd birth anniversary of their religion’s founder, Baba Guru Nanak.
Pakistan is home to a centuries-old civilisations, making it a revered destination for the followers of three major religions, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism.