Over 140 Pakistanis visit Sufi shrine in Sirhind

Over 140 Pakistanis are visiting the tomb of Sufi saint Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui in Sirhind this year to pay their obeisance during the annual Urs, the Pakistan High Commission said Sunday.

The traditional 'chaddar' on behalf of the people and the government of Pakistan was offered at the shrine Sunday with Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood travelling to 'Sirhind Sharif' to take part in the chaddar-laying ceremony, along with the pilgrims from Pakistan.

This year, 144 Pakistani pilgrims are visiting Sirhind in connection with the annual Urs celebration and to pay obeisance at the shrine, the Pakistan High Commission said in a statement.

The Pakistani envoy held an interactive session with the Pakistani pilgrims, who shared their observations and suggestions.

The high commissioner highlighted the role of visits to religious shrines (under the 1974 Protocol) in the context of people-to-people exchanges between Pakistan and India, the statement said.