As per the schedule, the first group of Sikh pilgrims consisting of 65 buses will reach Lahore from Gurudwara Panja Sahib Hassan Abdal, while the second group consisting of 62 buses will reach Gurudwara Dera Sahib after traveling from Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur via Gurdwara Rahri Sahib Aimanabad.
The Indian Sikhs performed their religious rituals at Gurudwara Janam Asthan Nankana Sahib, Gurudwara Panja Sahib Hassan Abdal and Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur. Ceremonies were also organized in honor of the pilgrims organized by the Evacuee Trust Property Board.
The Sikh pilgrims also appreciated the warm hospitality and the excellent arrangements made for the Vaisakhi celebrations and Khalsa Janam Din. The Sikh pilgrims, along with Pradhan and Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Project Management Unit CEO Abu Bakr Aftab Qureshi, Additional Secretary Shrine Saifullah Khokhar and other Sikh leaders, harvested the crops in the fields of Baba Guru Nanak. The pilgrims also expressed their happiness and spiritual connection with the land by raising slogans of “Bole So Nahal” while working.
As part of the Vaisakhi celebrations, a kabaddi match was organized by the Project Management Unit Kartarpur and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The Sikh pilgrims enjoyed traditional Punjabi dances including Bhangra and expressed their happiness and gratitude. They also raised slogans of Pakistan Zindabad.
Indian Sikh pilgrims will leave for Lahore via the Wagah border on April 19 after staying for a day at Gurudwara Dera Sahib, Lahore.
Report
by : Ali Imran Chattha, Special Reporter, Lahore (International Desk)