Very encouraging that so many Sikhs are still visiting Pakistan. :k:
**PAKISTAN: 5,000 SIKHS EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL
**Some 5,000 Sikhs from India and other countries are expected to arrive in Lahore on April 8 to take part in the Vaisakhi celebrations that mark the birth of modern Sikhism or the Khalsa. “Three thousand Indian and two thousand European, American and Canadian Sikh pilgrims are expected to arrive in Lahore,” said a Pakistani government official. The birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and various other important Sikh religious sites are in Pakistan. “The 3-day Sikh religious festival Besakhi Mela will begin on April 12 at Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hassan Abdal, in which thousands of yatrees (or pilgrims) from all over the world will participate,” he added. The president of the Guru Nanak Ji Mission Sardar Minpal Singh told reporters that as many as 4,000 visas have been issued by the Pakistan government to Indian pilgrims. “None of the Indian applicants have been refused visas and all applications in this regard have been accepted,” he said. “Three thousand yatrees are expected this year.” The president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Sardar Bishan Singh said that all arrangements have been finalised. He said that before visiting Panja Sahib, one of the most holy places of Sikhism because of the presence of a sacred rock with the hand print of Guru Nanak, the pilgrims will go to other gurdwaras or Sikh temples such as the Gurdwara Dera Sahib Lahore, Nankana Sahib (the birthplace of Guru Nanak), Gurdwara Kartarpur Narowal, Gurdwara Sucha Suda Farooqabad and Gurdwara Aimanabad. Sardar Bishan Singh said that most of the Indian pilgrims will arrive in the country on the Samjhauta Express, while a few will be traveling by bus and by air. “Around 2,000 pilgrims will attend the festival from the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, France and Italy,” he said.
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Religion&loid=8.0.402605544&par=0
