LAHORE: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the Pakistan SikhGurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) have decided on Saturday to grantvisas to 10,000 Sikhs from India, so that they can participate in the 550thbirthday celebrations of Guru Nanak.
Pakistani officials have given a green signal to the largestrepresentatives of Sikhs, the Shiromani committee, and other small groupsto take part in the celebrations.
After mutual consultation, the two bodies decided that the number ofpilgrims, in accordance with the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits toReligious Shrines, will be increased from 3,000 to 10,000.
Further, there will be no restrictions on the number of Sikhs coming toPakistan from other countries, they stated.
Pakistan will issue visas to the Shiromani community and other groups,according to the quota. All such groups will provide a list of pilgrims toEPTB; no other individual apart from these will be granted a visa.
Approximately, 0.1 million Sikhs want to visit Pakistan from India, Canada,America, Malaysia and several other countries.