Pakistan grants visas to 139 Indians to visit shrine

Muscat: Pakistan has granted 139 Indian pilgrims visas to visit the Shree Katas Raj Dham shrine in Chakwal district, Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi has announced.
The group started their journey on December 9, 2018 and the trip will last until December 15, 2018.
In a statement online, authorities said, “The Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines (1974) governs reciprocal visits by Indian and Pakistani pilgrims to designated shrines in Pakistan and India. Accordingly, a large number of Sikh and Hindu yatrees (travellers) from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals every year. Similarly, Zaireen (pilgrims) from Pakistan visit India to pay obeisance at the shrines of various Sufi saints in India.”
Authorities added that in November, more than 3,800 Sikh travellers from India were granted visas to visit Pakistan for the 549th birthday anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.
“During their visit, the historic initiative of “Kartarpur Corridor” was launched and the ground-breaking ceremony on the Pakistan side of the International Border was performed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 28, 2018, in the presence of the visiting Sikh Jatha from India,” Pakistan’s High Commission said.
“Consequently, over 220 Indian pilgrims received visas to visit the famous Hindu temple, Shadani Darbar, in Sukkur [located in the province of Sindh in Pakistan]. These yatrees are continuing their pilgrim,” officials added.
According to authorities, Katas Raj is one of the holiest places for the Hindu community in Pakistan. The temples form a complex surrounding a pond named Katas — which is regarded as sacred by the devotees.
“Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan’s High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood stated that the issuance of visas for yet another group of pilgrims from India was consistent with the Government of Pakistan’s policy of promoting visits to religious shrines and was a reflection of Pakistan’s commitment to faithfully implementing the 1974 Protocol. He added that Pakistan remained committed to providing all possible facilitation for the visiting pilgrims and strengthening people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,” the online statement read.