Lahore: About 250 Indian Sikh pilgrims
arrived here on Thursday via the Wagah border to attend religious
ceremonies in the memory of their martyrs at Nankana Sahib,
the birth place of the religion`s founder, Guru Nanak, in this
Pakistani city.
Officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB),
which maintains the shrines of Pakistan`s minority
communities, and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee greeted the pilgrims at the Wagah border.
Sardar Jageer Singh, the leader of the Indian delegation,
said the pilgrims had come to Pakistan to observe `Shahidi
Saka Sri` in the memory of their martyrs.
He praised ETPB Chairman Syed Asif Hashmi for providing
free transport and accommodation facilities to the `yatris`.
During their seven-day stay in Pakistan, the Sikhs will
participate in religious rituals at Gurdwara Janamsthan in
Nankana Sahib.
They will also visit several other gurdwaras, including
Sucha Sauda in Farooqabad, Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal and Dera
Sahib in Lahore.
Hashmi said the ETPB has made arrangements for providing
free lodging and boarding to the `yatris`.
Foolproof security arrangements have been made at
Gurdwara Janamsthan to ensure the safety of the pilgrims, he
said.
PTI
