NEW DELHI, India: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 6,500 visas to Indian pilgrims for the Baisakhi celebrations, which will take place in Pakistan from 10th to 19th April 2025.
The pilgrims will visit important Sikh religious sites in Pakistan, including Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, located in the Punjab province of Pakistan, Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi stated in a press release.
On the occasion, Saad Ahmad Warraich, Charge d’Affaires at the Pakistan High Commission, expressed that the large number of visas issued is a reflection of Pakistan’s commitment to fostering harmony and promoting understanding between peoples, cultures, and religions.
“The Government of Pakistan is pleased to facilitate such visits to sacred and holy sites, and we will continue to support the movement of pilgrims for religious observances,” Warraich added.
The Baisakhi festival is one of the key religious events for Sikhs, and every year, a significant number of pilgrims travel to Pakistan to commemorate the occasion.
Every year, a large number of Yatrees from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals/occasions under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.
Under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, a large number of Sikh Yatrees from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals/occasions every year.
Last year, Pakistan renewed its agreement with India regarding the Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free passage for Sikh pilgrims.
The corridor, inaugurated in November 2019 just ahead of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary, connects the Sikh shrine of Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, spent his final years.
The Kartarpur Corridor allows Indian Sikhs to visit the revered Gurdwara Darbar Sahib without the need for a visa, providing direct access to one of the holiest sites in Sikhism.
Pakistan’s opening of the corridor has been widely praised, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres describing it as a “Corridor of Hope” for fostering peace and goodwill between India and Pakistan.
Pakistan has expressed its continued support for the Sikh community’s access to their heritage sites, particularly as much of Sikh heritage is located in present-day Pakistan.
The initiative to open the Kartarpur Corridor came after decades of lobbying by the Sikh community, who had long sought easier access to their holy sites following the partition of India in 1947.
