Thousands of Sikh pilgrims visit Pakistan to celebrate Vaisakhi festival

NANKANA SAHIB, Pakistan — Thousands of Sikhs were in Pakistan on Monday to celebrate Vaisakhi, a harvest festival that marks the start of the Sikh New Year and is mostly observed in Punjab and northern India.

Pakistani authorities this year granted more than 6,500 visas to Indian Sikhs, a higher number than previous years. Visas to travel between the two countries are normally difficult to obtain, but the governments have a special arrangement that allows pilgrims to visit shrines and places of worship.

The main Vaisakhi ceremony was held in Nankana Sahib, where the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak, was born.

Gurdwara Janam Asthan is one of nine Sikh places of worship at Nankana Sahib, which is located some 75 kilometers (46 miles) west of Lahore.

Rinko Kaur traveled from India’s western Gujarat state, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is from. She said she was initially hesitant about visiting Pakistan.

“My family warned me about going ... and said I should be with a group to be safe,” Kaur said.

But she said the people have been welcoming.

“I saw people coming out of their houses, waving as a welcome gesture. We feel as if we are celebrities,” said Kaur, who plans to visit other Sikh holy sites in Pakistan in the coming days.

Many Sikh holy sites are located in Pakistan after the British partitioned the subcontinent into separate nations in 1947 following two centuries of colonial rule.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Vaisakhi was a time of “great joy for farmers." The festival also encourages a spirit of hope, unity and renewal that inspires and unites communities, Sharif added.