Baisakhi Mela, Sikh Pilgrimage of Pakistan

At the end of Sikhism’s Khalsa Janam Day and Baisakhi Mela, hundreds of Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, including India, thanked Pakistan for making wonderful arrangements, saying that Pakistan has always taken historic steps for Sikhs. The atmosphere of brotherhood that exists in Pakistan is not found in any country in the world. Here, minorities are loved, while in India there is cruelty, which is less to be condemned. We cannot forget the love we received from Pakistan.
Sikh pilgrims from different countries including India, USA, UK and Europe performed their religious rituals on this occasion, strict security arrangements were made. The way Indians are provided facilities in Pakistan, they want Pakistanis to be provided the same facilities in India. Despite the tension with India, Pakistan has issued visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims. The government has arranged to issue visas for religious harmony and to bring the people of both countries closer. The Sikh pilgrims said that they have got very good facilities in Pakistan and they are willing to come back to Pakistan.
In Pakistan, the followers of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, are given great respect and love. Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, including India, are warmly welcomed on religious festivals of the Sikh religion. Pakistan is one of the countries in the world where Sikhs and other religious minorities enjoy all kinds of religious freedom. The protection, construction and development of Sikh holy places, Gurdwaras is our national duty. The government of Pakistan is promoting the culture of tolerance and tolerance between religions, that’s why the world knows us as ambassadors of peace. The bond of Sikh-Muslim friendship is getting stronger. False propaganda against Pakistan is done in India. The government has made a home in the hearts of the Sikh nation.
Presently, Sikhs are living in very small number in Pakistan. Many Sikhs live in the province of Punjab, which is a part of the old Punjab, where Sikhism originated. A large number of Sikhs also live in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is also in Punjab, Pakistan.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Sikh community became a powerful political force and Maharaja Ranjit Singh founded the Sikh Empire with the capital city of Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan today. The Sikh community in Punjab is mostly in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad and Nankana Sahib.
After the partition of India in 1947, the Sikhs and Hindus of Pakistan went to India and the Muslims of India settled in Pakistan. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Sikh community started organizing in Pakistan and formed the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to protect the holy places and heritage of Sikhs in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan has allowed Indian Sikhs to come to Pakistan and visit their holy places, and Pakistani Sikhs are also allowed to visit India. Before the partition of India in 1947, all Sikhs lived in Pakistan, especially in the Punjab region. And as farmers, traders and entrepreneurs they had a very important role in the economy. Lahore, the capital of Punjab, Pakistan, is still home to several important Sikh religious sites, including Ranjit Singh’s samadhi. Nankana Sahib has 9 Gurdwaras including Gurdwara Janmasthan and the city is also the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Each Gurdwara of Nankana Sahib relates to different events in the life of Baba Guru Nanak. This city is an important place of pilgrimage for Sikhs from all over the world.
Kartarpur is a very important and holy place for Sikhs where the spiritual leader of Sikhs Baba Guru Nanak Ji spent the last 18 years of his life. Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is located 4.5 km from the Indian border in the Narowal district of Pakistan. After the partition of 1947, this area became a part of Pakistan. This place is one of the holiest places for the Sikh community. But the majority of about three crore Sikhs living in the world have been deprived of his pilgrimage for the last 71 years. The reason for this is the tension between the two countries since the beginning. Till now, Indian Sikhs could see the Kartarpur Gurudwara from across the border, four kilometers away. The Indian Border Security Force has set up a ‘Darshan Asthal’ at the border where Darbar Sahib could be seen through binoculars. River Ravi and Nala flow along the way. The present Gurudwara building was constructed in 1925 as its original condition was destroyed due to flood. So in 2004 it was restored by Pakistan.
The Kartarpur Corridor is a proposed border corridor between India and Pakistan that was inaugurated on 9 November 2018. It connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Indian Punjab with the holy shrine of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan. The proposed corridor aims to facilitate religious devotees from India to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib located just 4.7 km from the Indo-Pak border, through which Indian pilgrims, especially Sikh pilgrims, can visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur without a visa. The facility is provided.