Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to more than 1,100Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual Baisakhi celebrationsfrom April 12 to 22.

“These visas have been issued as a ‘special gesture’ by the government ofPakistan in view of the importance of Baisakhi for Punjabis and Sikhsmarking the start of their new year. Pakistan High Commission extendsspecial felicitations to all those celebrating this auspicious occasion andwishes the visiting pilgrims a fulfilling yatra,” the Pakistani missionsaid in a statement.

“The issuance of pilgrimage visas is a part of the government of Pakistan’sefforts for facilitating visits to religious shrines. This also reflectsthe commitment of the government of Pakistan to faithfully implement thebilateral protocol on visits to religious shrines,” it added.

The celebrations of the festival are scheduled to begin from April 12 inPakistan. link

Earlier, reports claimed Baisakhi festival has been cancelled amid thirdwave of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.COVID-19 Situation in Pakistan

The federal and provincial governments have tightened the restrictions inorder to control the spread of the virus in the country.

At least 102 people died due to the the novel coronavirus infection while4,004 fresh cases have reported in the last 24 hours, National Command andOperation Centre (NCOC) said Wednesday.

According to the latest figures, the death toll has reached 15,026 whilethe number of confirmed cases stands at 700,188.

In the past 24 hours, as many as 2,631 patients have recovered from thedeadly virus while the total recoveries surged to 620,789.

The total count of active cases was recorded at 64,373.