Lahore: Kartarpur is the “Madina” and Nankana Sahib is the “Makkah” of the Sikh community, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government will issue multiple and on-arrival visas to Sikhs pilgrims coming from India and other countries, media reports said on Tuesday.
Khan said the government will provide Sikh pilgrims maximum possible facilities during their pilgrimage to the holy sites in Pakistan, the News International reported.
Addressing the International Sikh Convention at the Governor House here, the prime minister said, “I assure that you will be issued multiple visas…This is our responsibility. We will give you visas at the airport.”
Pakistan has decided to complete the process of issuance of visas to Sikh pilgrims by September 30 to facilitate their participation at the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in Nankana Sahib on November 12. The visa process started on September 1.
The move is not a favour, it was Pakistan’s obligation, the Saama TV quoted Khan as saying. “Kartarpur is your Madina and Nankana Sahib is your Makkah. We (Muslims) can’t even imagine someone keeping us away from Makkah or Madina. This is a new visa regime so there may some obstacles initially, but we will facilitate you fully,” he said.
The convention was attended by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, federal and provincial cabinet members, and Sikh pilgrims from the UK, the US, Canada, Europe and other countries.
New Delhi and Islamabad have agreed that Pakistan would allow 5,000 Sikh visitors per day into the country through the proposed Kartarpur Corridor. (PTI)
