Rituals of Baisakhi Festival begin in Hassan Abdal

ATTOCK: Festivities of four-day Baisakhi Festival on Friday kicked-off amid tight security in Hassan Abdal, Attock, ARY News reported.

Sikh pilgrims around the world are reaching Gurdwara Panja Sahab to attend the festival, more than 10,000 visitors are expected to participate in the festival.

Sikh Pilgrims hailing from India will reach Hassan Abdal via train tonight amid strict security.

During their visit to Pakistan, the pilgrims would visit the holiest shrines of Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib.

Detailing the media about the security measures, District Police Officer (DPO) Attock, Syed Shehbaz Nadeem said as many as 2,500 policemen have been deployed to ensure protection of the pilgrims during the four-day long festival.

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Baisakhi is a historical religious festival in Sikhism, which is celebrated in mid of April. This event marks the Punjabi and Sikh new year. It is a spring harvest festival for the Sikhs.

It may be noted that Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 2200 visas to Indian Sikh Pilgrims for the festival.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said visas were issued in line with Pakistan’s efforts to promote interfaith harmony and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.