New Delhi: Close on the heels of the controversy surrounding India’s refusal to issue visas to many Pakistani cricket fans for watching the World Cup matches, comes news of Pakistan issuing visas to 104 Indian Hindu pilgrims. They are set to attend the 315th birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib at Shadani Darbar in the Sindh province.
The news was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on De-cember 8. The High Commission’s handle said charge d’ Affairs Aizak Khan “extended his heartfelt fe-licitations to the pilgrims and wished them a safe journey”.
The celebrations at the Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi in the Sindh province, an important site for the Hindu Sindhi community, are due between December 12 and 23. These celebrations, like every year, are expected to draw a large crowd from across the region.
“The visa initiative, in accordance with the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, is part of Islamabad’s efforts to facilitate religious tourism and cultural exchanges. Annually, this proto-col allows thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India to attend various events in Pakistan,” said a report in Dawn.
While last year, Pakistan issued 100 visas to Hindu pilgrims to visit the spiritual site between November 22 and December 3, in 2021, 136 visas were issued to pilgrims to visit between December 4 and 15.
The Shadani Darbar was founded in 1786 by Lahore-born Sant Shadaram Sahib. It has followers among the Hindu Sindhi community from across the globe. –Agencies
