As part of the celebrations for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Pakistan on Tuesday allowed a special group of Indian pilgrims to enter the country. The group heading for the holy Sikh shrine of Nankana Sahib will begin the festivities that will ultimately lead to the main festival at the Gurudwara of Kartarpur Sahib where both India and Pakistan are building infrastructure for a peace corridor.“Pakistan feels honoured that celebrations of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak by Indian Sikhs are being started from Nankana Sahib, Pakistan,” said a press statement issued by the High Commission of Pakistan on Monday.
The group of 500 pilgrims was granted visa on July 26 as a special provision over the usual number of visas issued under the 1974 India-Pakistan Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974. The statement reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to celebrate the life of Guru Nanak coinciding with the anniversary
India and Pakistan held the third round of formal talks on the religious corridor project on July 14. The corridor is expected to be ready by the end of October and will facilitate the expected large flow of pilgrims to Kartarpur, Nankana Sahib and other important pilgrimage centres.
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“The government of Pakistan also believes in the policy of promoting visits to religious shrines and people to people contacts between Pakistan and India,” said the High Commission statement.