New Delhi: The Pakistan high commission on Wednesday said that it has issued 96 visas to a group of pilgrims from India to facilitate their travel to the Shree Katas Raj temples in the Punjab province’s Chakwal district.
Each year, a large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals and occasions.
A large number of Indian Hindus are also issued visas by the Pakistan High Commission on a regular basis to visit their families and friends in the neighbouring country. The High Commission said, “The issuance of visas to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims is in line with the Government of Pakistan’s efforts for facilitating visits to religious shrines.”
Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires in New Delhi, Aftab Hasan Khan, wished the Hindu pilgrims a spiritually rewarding pilgrimage, saying that Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious sites and providing all possible assistance to visiting pilgrims of all faiths.
Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to attend various religious festivals/occasions every year.
Pakistan is home to some of the most significant Sikh pilgrimage sites including the birthplace and final resting place of Baba Guru Nanak.
An ETPB document claims that there are around 195 gurdwaras across Pakistan. The issuance of pilgrimage visas to Hindu and Sikh pilgrims is in line with the Government of Pakistan’s efforts for facilitating visits to religious shrines. It is also reflective of Pakistan’s respect for religious places of all faiths and efforts for promoting interfaith harmony.
Pakistan takes immense pride in preserving holy religious places and providing necessary facilitation to the visiting pilgrims. Pakistan is known around the world for three major religions: Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism. Hinduism is the second largest religion in Pakistan after Islam, according to the 1998 Census. As of 2010, Pakistan had the fifth largest Hindu population in the world and PEW predicts that by 2050 Pakistan will have the fourth largest Hindu population in the world.
According to analysts, allowing international tourism in Pakistan at the same pace as the rest of South Asia would result in a $1.5 billion increase in GDP. Religious tourism can contribute enormously in amplifying Pakistan’s economy by projecting the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists and Sikh religious sites existing in the country. Pakistan respects all religions and also recognizes the need for promotion of religious tourism in the country.
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