Pakistan High Commission grants visa to 112 Indian pilgrims to visit Katas Raj in Chakwal

In a key development, the Pakistan High Commission on Tuesday, 14 December, issued visas to 112 Hindu pilgrims from India for visiting Katas Raj Temples in Chakwal, Pakistan. Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan High Commission announced that the group of Hindu pilgrims will be allowed to visit the temple compound known as Qila Katas between December 17 to 23.

In a separate tweet, the Pakistan High Commission in India wished "spiritually rewarding pilgrimage" to Hindu devotees and highlighted that they remain committed to preserving religious sites. The Pakistan High Commission in India wrote, "The High Commission wishes a spiritually rewarding pilgrimage to Hindu Pilgrims. Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious sites and extending all possible assistance to the visiting pilgrims of all faiths." The Indian Embassy confirmed the development and stated that the Indian Hindu pilgrims will be able to visit the Hindu temple in Punjab, Pakistan, as per ANI.

Katas Raj is one of the holy places of the Hindu community in Pakistan and the building of the temple is surrounded by a pond named Katas. The visit of the Hindu pilgrims to the temple comes under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, 1974 which governs visits by Indian and Pakistani pilgrims to designated shrines in both countries, according to ANI.

Kartarpur Corridor reopened in November

The Kartarpur corridor, which leads to one of Pakistan's holiest Sikh sites, reopened on Wednesday, November 17. The corridor opened two days before Gurpurab, which is the birthday of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru. The corridor was forced to close in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement of the resumption of the Kartarpur Corridor was made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The corridor connects the Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Punjab's Gurdaspur in India and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur. Taking to Twitter, Shah stated, "In a major decision, that will benefit large numbers of Sikh pilgrims, PM @Narendramodi govt has decided to re-open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor from tomorrow, Nov 17. This decision reflects the immense reverence of Modi govt towards Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and our Sikh community."

Inputs from ANI

Image: AP/Twitter/@PakinIndia