Over 6,750 Sikh pilgrims from India have arrived in Pakistan to celebrate the Baisakhi Festival and the Khalsa Birth Anniversary. The pilgrims were warmly welcomed at the Wagah Border, with the central ceremony set to take place at Gurdwara Janam Asthan Nankana Sahib on April 14.
The Sikh pilgrims, chanting “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa” and “Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,” arrived at the Wagah Border, where officials from the Evacuee Trust Property Board, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs greeted them.
These pilgrims, primarily elderly, arrived from various Indian states like Amritsar, Haryana, Delhi, and others. Many expressed a desire to visit their ancestral villages in Punjab, with some recalling the names of their hometowns and neighborhoods.
First-time visitors, including young Indian women, shared their excitement and mentioned that Pakistan was not at all like what they had seen in movies. They were impressed by the similarity between the people, language, and culture of both countries.
The pilgrims were transported by special buses to their destinations, with one group heading to Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hassan Abdal and the other to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.
Transport fare was collected, but accommodation, meals, and medical services were provided free of charge.
