Indian Hindus to arrive in Pakistan for pilgrimage on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: A group of Hindu pilgrims from India will reach Pakistan on foot through the Wagah border crossing on Sunday (tomorrow) where they will attend the Shadani Darbar located in Hayat Pitafi, Mirpur Mathelo, Sindh for religious rituals.

The Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi has issued 87 visas to Hindu pilgrims to visit Pakistan to attend the 316th birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avatar Satguru Sant Shada Ram Sahib at the Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi in Sindh from November 24 to December 4.

On the occasion, Charge d’Affaires, Saad Ahmed Warraich “expressed his best wishes to the pilgrims,” a press release said on Saturday.

He said Pakistan is committed to protecting the holy religious sites as well as providing necessary facilities to the pilgrims.

The issuance of visas comes under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Places of 1974.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan are bitter enemies with long-standing political tensions, having fought three wars and numerous minor skirmishes since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

Relations have deteriorated particularly since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the limited autonomy of India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both, with each accusing the other of fomenting militancy there.

But religious pilgrimages, exchange of prisoner lists and nuclear facilities between the two countries are governed by separate agreements.

In October, Pakistan and India renewed their agreement to facilitate pilgrims through the Kartarpur corridor for another five years.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has been providing security, accommodation and transport for the pilgrims.

The pilgrims will travel to Hayat Patafi in special buses to perform religious rituals and will also visit other holy places including the historic Sadhu Bela Temple in Sukkur.

The ETPB spokesperson highlighted that all arrangements have been made to ensure the “comfort and safety” of the Hindu pilgrims during their stay in Sindh.