Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to two groups of Indian Hindu Yatrees in December 2020 to visit their revered sites in Pakistan, a press release by the Commission said on Tuesday.
Yesterday, a group of 47 Indian Hindu Yatrees were issued visas; they would visit Shree Katas Raj Temples, also known as Qila Katas or complex of Katas Temples in Chakwal district of Punjab, Pakistan from 23-29 December 2020. The Katas Raj temples surround a pond sacred to Hindu devotees.
Another group of 44 Indian Hindu Yatrees returned yesterday from Pakistan where they had participated in the 312th birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib, at Sukkur, Sindh from 15-21 December 2020. A three centuries old temple, Shadani Darbar, is a holy place for devotees from across the world. The temple was founded in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, who was born in Lahore in 1708.
Thousands of Indian Sikh and Hindu pilgrims visit Pakistan under the bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, to observe several religious festivals/occasions every year. The visas issued from New Delhi are in addition to the visas granted to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims participating in these events from other countries, the statement added.
The Pakistan High Commission said: “the issuance of pilgrimage visas to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims is part of the Government of Pakistan’s endeavours to facilitate their visits to religious shrines. Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious places and extending all possible facilitation for the visiting pilgrims of all faiths.”
