Lahore: A delegation of Sikh yatrees from India arrived in Lahore via Wagah border to participate in100 year celebrations of Saka Punja Sahib. Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) Pardhan Sardar Amir Singh and others received the guests.
Speaking on the occasion Sikh leader Giani Harmeet Singh said: “We are very happy to come to Pakistan and extremely grateful to Pakistani government for the warmest welcome”.
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. Under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, a large number of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to participate in various religious festivals and occasions each year.
Evacuee Trust Property Board chairman said that minorities are being provided best services and development work is underway at Gurdwaras in Pakistan. Pakistan takes immense pride in preserving holy religious places and providing necessary facilitation to the visiting pilgrims.
British historian Bobby Singh Bansal has claimed that 90% of the Sikh heritage sites are located in Pakistan, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. There is potential to promote religious tourism. KP province, which has the maximum number of such sites, has the potential to attract the Sikh community from across the globe.
Pakistan is known around the world for three major religions: Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism. 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. Web Desk
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