89 Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to celebrate Maha Shivaratri

Around 89 Hindu pilgrims from India arrived here on Tuesday to celebrate Maha Shivaratri at Katas Raj Temple in Pakistan's Punjab Province.

Some 89 Hindu pilgrims arrived here from India via Wagah border on Tuesday. Evacuee Trust Property Board senior officers Rana Shahid and Fraz Abbas received them at the border, Amir Hashmi, spokesperson for ETPB, which looks after the holy places of minorities in Pakistan, told PTI.

Hashmi said the Hindu pilgrims would remain in Lahore for a day before leaving for Chakwal, some 300 kms from Lahore, to attend their religious festival at Katas Raj. He said the main event Maha Shivaratri' will be held there on Thursday. Foolproof security arrangements have been made in this respect, he added.

Hindu pilgrims leader Sanjiv Kumar said they receive love in Pakistan and hope the ETPB is taking good care of their holy places.

The Shri Katas Raj Temples also known as Qila Katas, is a complex of several Hindu temples connected to one another by walkways. The temple complex surrounds a pond named Katas which is regarded as sacred by Hindus. The complex is located in the Potohar Plateau region of Pakistan's Punjab province.