Faraz Saeed

LAHORE: Indian Sikh pilgrims returned to India on Friday via the Wagah border after a 10-day visit to Pakistan for the 420th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and the annual Jor Mela, praising arrangements and calling for expanded cross-border religious access. Pakistan hosts thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world each year, particularly from neighboring India, for major religious festivals and commemorations held at some of Sikhism&rsquo;s most revered sites.&nbsp; Officials including Pakistan Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB)&nbsp;Chairman Qamar Uz Zaman, and Additional Secretary Shrines Nasir Mushtaq saw off the pilgrims at Wagah. The ETPB, a statutory board of the Government of Pakistan, is a key government department which administers evacuee properties, including educational, charitable or religious trusts left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after partition. Speaking at the occasion, Arora said Pakistan would &quot;continue&quot; to welcome Sikh pilgrims highlighting ongoing restoration work at more than 70 gurdwaras, with 17 in an initial phase. He also urged renewed engagement on the Kartarpur Corridor. Arora added that in line with the vision of Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Islamabad is ensuring the protection, preservation and beautification of Sikh religious sites while providing the best possible facilities and hospitality to visiting pilgrims.&nbsp;Mushtaq said Sikhs from India and across the world were eager to visit Pakistan&rsquo;s religious sites.&nbsp;&nbsp;He reaffirmed the Pakistan government commitment to serving and facilitating Sikh pilgrims and announced that another group of Indian Sikh pilgrims would arrive in Pakistan through the Wagah border crossing on June 21 to attend the death anniversary ceremonies of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.&nbsp;The visiting delegation described the arrangements as comprehensive and called for easier visa access and expanded people-to-people exchanges. Indian Jatha Leader Sardar Bhupinder Singh said the pilgrims were returning home with a message of love, peace and religious harmony from Pakistan.&nbsp;He appreciated the hospitality extended by the ETPB and the government of Pakistan adding that Sikh gurdwaras in Pakistan were now safer and more beautifully maintained than before.&nbsp;Home to numerous historic gurdwaras, including those in Punjab where the faith&#39;s founder Guru Nanak was born, Pakistan regularly facilitates pilgrimages with dedicated arrangements, welcoming devotees for events such as Baisakhi, Guru Nanak Gurpurab and other key observances that draw visitors from across South Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.&nbsp;Pilgrim experiences and cross-border sentimentPilgrims speaking to Pakistan TV Digital shared strong praise for their experience. Gurmeet Kaur said that negative perceptions about Pakistan were &quot;completely false&quot; adding that the people of Pakistan showed great respect in trade, food, gurdwaras and bazaars, and that the arrangements left no shortcomings. She added that Pakistan felt like their &quot;own country&quot; and urged people not to believe negative narratives without personal experience. Hardayal Singh said that he would India authorities that visa access should be improved so people from both sides could meet, exchange visits and share hospitality. Another pilgrim Thada Singh said Pakistan felt very welcoming and even better than India, adding that the arrangements and care were beyond expectations.&nbsp; Amrit Singh described the hospitality and support as exceptional, saying it deserved &ldquo;200 out of 100 marks.&rdquo; The pilgrims concluded their 10-day visit carrying messages of peace, religious respect and greater cross-border engagement between the two countries.

Culture

Indian Sikh pilgrims returned via Wagah after a 10-day Pakistan visit for religious events, praising hospitality, security and gurdwara maintenance.

'Even better than India': Sikh pilgrims praise Pakistan’s hospitality

LAHORE: More than 500 Indian Sikh pilgrims participated in the Shaheedi Jor Mela, commemorating the 420th anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The event took place at the historic Gurdwara Dera Sahib, where prayers, kirtan, and various commemorative rituals were held. Extensive arrangements were coordinated by both Pakistani authorities and Sikh religious bodies to ensure the event&#39;s success. The visiting pilgrims performed traditional rites, including &quot;matha tekna&quot; (bowing before the&nbsp;<a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-issues-737-visas-to-indian-pilgrims-for-martyrdom-day-of-guru-arjun-dev-ji" target="_blank" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guru Granth Sahib</a>) and &quot;ishnan&quot; (ritual bathing), while attending continuous devotional singing led by ragi jathas. Large gatherings paid tribute to Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Sikh Guru, revered for compiling the&nbsp;<a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-issues-2856-visas-to-indian-sikhs-for-baisakhi-pilgrimage" target="_blank" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guru Granth Sahib</a>&nbsp;in 1604 and for his martyrdom in 1606 under the rule of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.&nbsp;Official arrangements and facilitationOfficials from the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee supervised arrangements at the shrine, including accommodation, &quot;langar&quot; (community meals), sanitation, transport, and medical support. Security and facilitation services were coordinated with local authorities to ensure uninterrupted access throughout the pilgrimage. Punjab Minister for Minorities Ramesh Singh Arora and senior officials, including Additional Secretary (Shrines) Nasir Mushtaq, attended the event alongside representatives of Sikh institutions.&nbsp;Birthplace of Sikhism&nbsp;Speaking at the gathering, Additional Secretary Nasir Mushtaq said that Sikh heritage is deeply rooted in the region and emphasized Pakistan&rsquo;s long-standing hospitality toward Sikh pilgrims. &ldquo;Sikhism was born in this land, and for Sikhs, Pakistan is like a first home. Despite visa processes and administrative requirements, no Sikh pilgrim is ever deliberately prevented from visiting Pakistan,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Under the directives of the federal government, comprehensive arrangements are always made for their visit,&rdquo; he added. He said that medical camps, ambulances, and emergency services were deployed throughout the pilgrimage route to ensure immediate assistance where needed. Highlighting administrative preparations, he said that the ETPB had ensured exemplary arrangements for pilgrims, including clean accommodation, organized langar, and sanitation facilities at the shrine. He noted that improvements and restoration work are ongoing at multiple Sikh religious sites across Pakistan.&nbsp;Pilgrim experiences and cross-border sentimentIndian Sikh delegation leader Sardar Gurmeet Singh Bohar expressed satisfaction with the visit, noting that Sikh pilgrims have consistently been welcomed in Pakistan with respect and care. He said Guru Arjan Dev Ji&rsquo;s teachings reflected universal values of compassion, equality, and devotion, and highlighted his linguistic scholarship and compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib. Historical accounts of Guru Arjan Dev Ji&rsquo;s martyrdom were also shared during the event. These accounts described his imprisonment and execution in 1606 during the reign of Emperor Jahangir.&nbsp;&lsquo;Pakistanis are very hospitable&rsquo;Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, visiting pilgrims praised Pakistan&#39;s hospitality, security, and arrangements. &ldquo;The people here are very kind and loving. When we return home, we will tell everyone that Pakistanis are very hospitable,&rdquo; said Inderjeet Kaur, visiting from Ludhiana.&nbsp; &ldquo;Everyone should visit these gurdwaras and meet people here, and the borders should be more open for pilgrims,&rdquo; Kaur added. Ragi Avtar Singh, also visiting&nbsp;from Ludhiana,&nbsp;praised the local hospitality. &ldquo;The people here, including the administration and security forces, treat us with great affection and ensure our safety. It is difficult to describe the warmth we have received. Everything, from food and parshad to tea and drinking water, was provided in abundance. &ldquo;The committees and organizers showed us immense care, and we felt warmly welcomed,&rdquo; Singh added.&nbsp;10-day tour&nbsp;Religious scholars and kirtan groups throughout the event highlighted the life and teachings of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, focusing on his message of peace, humility, and interfaith harmony. Continuous devotional singing drew large crowds, reinforcing the spiritual significance of the occasion. Pilgrims concluded their visit by expressing gratitude to Pakistani authorities and shrine management institutions for what they described as well-organized facilities, improved infrastructure, and peaceful conditions at Sikh heritage sites. The delegation is scheduled to return to India on June 19 after completing a 10-day religious tour.

Foreign Affairs

Over 500 Indian Sikh pilgrims participate in the Shaheedi Jor Mela, marking the 420th anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, at the historic Gurdwara Dera Sahib; large gatherings pay tribute to Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

Articles tagged with "Indian Sikh Pilgrims"

'Even better than India': Sikh pilgrims praise Pakistan’s hospitality

Indian Sikh pilgrims commend Pakistan’s hospitality, arrangements at Lahore Jor Mela

'Even better than India': Sikh pilgrims praise Pakistan’s hospitality