Lahore:
Hundreds of Sikh pilgrims from India arrived here on Saturday to participate in Baisakhi celebrations during which they will also visit the birthplace of founder of their faith Guru Nanak at Nankana Sahib.
Sikhs arrived in this eastern Pakistani city to participate in Baisakhi celebrations marking the end of the wheat harvesting season at several holy sites.
A total of 180 Sikhs from India arrived in Lahore in the first of several special trains, Evacuee Trust Property Board media manager Jacolin Tressler said. Indian authorities had informed the Board that another 1,500 Sikhs were on their way in more special trains, she said.
During their nine-day stay in Pakistan, the Sikhs will visit Gurdwara Janamsthan at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, Gurdwara Saccha Soda in Farooqabad and Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Aimanabad. They will leave for India on April 20.
Officials of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Evacuee Trust Property Board, which is responsible for maintaining Sikh shrines, greeted the Sikh yatris or pilgrims at the border.
Several pilgrims crossed the border barefoot as a mark of respect for the land where Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, was born. Banners with messages of peace and welcome greeted the pilgrims.
The leaders of different 'jathas' or delegations stressed the need for people-to-people contacts and early resumption of the peace dialogue between Indian and Pakistan.
Soon after their arrival, the pilgrims left for Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal, where the main festival is to be held from Monday. The pilgrims are being guarded by police and paramilitary Pakistan Rangers.
The Pakistan government has for the first time deployed Pakistan Rangers to provide security to the Indian pilgrims because of a series of terror attacks across the country.
Besides Sikhs from India, some 1,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive from Europe, the Middle East, the US, Canada and Afghanistan. A large number of local Sikhs and Hindus will also participate in the festival.
Last year, over 4,000 Sikhs from India had attended the festival but the figure is lower this year due to tensions between the two countries in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Sikhs arrived in this eastern Pakistani city to participate in Baisakhi celebrations marking the end of the wheat harvesting season at several holy sites.
A total of 180 Sikhs from India arrived in Lahore in the first of several special trains, Evacuee Trust Property Board media manager Jacolin Tressler said. Indian authorities had informed the Board that another 1,500 Sikhs were on their way in more special trains, she said.
During their nine-day stay in Pakistan, the Sikhs will visit Gurdwara Janamsthan at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, Gurdwara Saccha Soda in Farooqabad and Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Aimanabad. They will leave for India on April 20.
Officials of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Evacuee Trust Property Board, which is responsible for maintaining Sikh shrines, greeted the Sikh yatris or pilgrims at the border.
Several pilgrims crossed the border barefoot as a mark of respect for the land where Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, was born. Banners with messages of peace and welcome greeted the pilgrims.
The leaders of different 'jathas' or delegations stressed the need for people-to-people contacts and early resumption of the peace dialogue between Indian and Pakistan.
Soon after their arrival, the pilgrims left for Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal, where the main festival is to be held from Monday. The pilgrims are being guarded by police and paramilitary Pakistan Rangers.
The Pakistan government has for the first time deployed Pakistan Rangers to provide security to the Indian pilgrims because of a series of terror attacks across the country.
Besides Sikhs from India, some 1,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive from Europe, the Middle East, the US, Canada and Afghanistan. A large number of local Sikhs and Hindus will also participate in the festival.
Last year, over 4,000 Sikhs from India had attended the festival but the figure is lower this year due to tensions between the two countries in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
