Lahore, Jun 8 (PTI) A total of 144 Sikh pilgrims from India arrived in Pakistan to take part in an annual festival to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the fifth Guru of the Sikh community.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and Pakistan Gurdwara Sikh Prabandhak Committee officials received the pilgrims at the Wagah border. The 144 Sikh pilgrims are here to attend festivities in connection with the Jor Mela, ETPB spokesperson Amir Hashmi told PTI.

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He said Langar (lunch) was served to all the visiting pilgrims at Wagah before their departure for Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal city of Pakistan's Punjab province by train.

During their stay, the pilgrims will also visit Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, Narowal and Dera Sahib Lahore. They will return to their homeland on June 17, Hashmi said.

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Talking to reporters at the Wagah Border, a Sikh group leader Sardar Sukh Mandar Singh said: “Pakistan is our second homeland. We have come here to attend our religious rituals.”

He also urged the Pakistani government to issue visas to more Indian Sikhs so that they could pay a visit to their holy places in the neighbouring country.

The issuance of visas is covered under the framework of Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.

Every year, a large number of Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals.

The visas issued from New Delhi are in addition to the visas granted to Sikh pilgrims participating in these events from other countries.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)