Over 80 Indian Hindu pilgrims return home after visiting Pakistan temples

Over 80 Indian Hindu pilgrims left Pakistan for their homeland on Wednesday after participating in the 316 birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Stguru Sant Shadaram Sahib at Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi in Sindh province.

The pilgrims were seen off at the Wagah Border by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) officials - Saifullah Khokhar and Umar Javed Awan.

Talking to reporters at the Wagah Border, the Indian delegation leader Yudhishter Lal expressed his gratitude and said: "The love and hospitality we received in Pakistan will always be cherished.

He praised the arrangements regarding security, accommodation and medical facilities.

Lal urged the governments of both countries to ease visa restrictions so that the people of both sides could easily visit their holy places.

The Additional Secretary Shrines, Saifullah Khokhar, said the pilgrims had completed their 10-day visit and were returning after performing religious rituals at Shadani Darbar Mirpur Mathelo and Sadh Belo Temple in Sukkur.

During their stay, the pilgrims also visited other religious sites, including Yog Mata Mandir Aqilpur, Ghotki, Pano Aqil, Sukkur, and the historic Sadhu Bela Temple. They also spent a day in Nankana Sahib - the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev.

Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi had issued 94 visas to Indian pilgrims for the event. However, 84 of them came here.

The issuance of visas is covered under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.