Sikh pilgrims leave Panja Sahib for Kartarpur

Indian devotees laud arrangements as they continue Baisakhi pilgrimage in Pakistan

HASSAN ABDAL:

Around 2,200 Sikh pilgrims from India, visiting Pakistan in connection with the Vaisakhi festival and the Khalsa birth anniversary, departed from Gurdwara Panja Sahib for Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur after completing their religious visit on Tuesday.

Additional Secretary Shrines, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Nasir Mushtaq, along with caretaker Ismatullah, saw off the pilgrims from Hassan Abdal. He reviewed the security arrangements, with Punjab Police contingents deployed to ensure a safe journey. The pilgrims were dispatched in three separate convoys under strict supervision.

Deputy Secretary Shrines Fraz Abbas, Security Officer Fazal Rabee, Security Officer Asim Chaudhry and Nauman Randhawa are overseeing arrangements, while ETPB staff are accompanying the pilgrims throughout their journey to facilitate their needs.

To ensure medical assistance during travel, Rescue emergency ambulances and ETPB medical units are accompanying the convoys. Special security measures have been implemented along all routes, and designated rest areas for pilgrims have been temporarily closed to the general public.

Speaking to the media before departure, Sardar Surjeet Singh, leader of the visiting delegation from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), appreciated the arrangements made by Pakistani authorities.

He said gurdwaras in Pakistan are well preserved and secure, and pilgrims are being provided with excellent accommodation, healthcare and transport facilities.

Other pilgrims also expressed satisfaction, highlighting the provision of quality transport, clean drinking water and well-organised langar (community meals) at gurdwaras. They extended their gratitude to the ETPB administration and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for their hospitality.

Additional Secretary Nasir Mushtaq said arrangements of international standards had been ensured under special directives of the federal government and the chairman ETPB.

He also appreciated the support of the district administration, health department, police and federal security agencies in successfully organising the Vaisakhi celebrations.

The pilgrims will stay at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur for two days to perform their religious rituals. A traditional Punjabi cultural event, including a kabaddi match, has also been organised in their honour.

According to the schedule, the pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Rori Sahib in Eminabad on April 17 before proceeding to Lahore, where they will stay at Gurdwara Dera Sahib. They are scheduled to return to India via Wagah border on April 19.