New Delhi: More than 200 Sikh pilgrims will travel to Hassan Abdal, Pakistan, on October 28, to take part in the centennial celebration of Gurdwara Panja Sahib, according to Harmeet Singh Kalka, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
The pilgrims will cross into Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border crossing on October 28, and they will return to Amritsar on November 2. The pilgrims will also visit Nankana Sahib, Lahore, and other Gurdwaras in Pakistan.
Kalka said "A total of 240 pilgrims from across India will reach Pakistan on October 28. Of them, 40 pilgrims will be sent by the DSGMC from Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ghaziabad."
The pilgrims must receive both doses of the Covid vaccination and pass a COVID-19 test 72 hours before leaving for Pakistan. The pilgrims will also need to pass a RAT test when they arrive at the joint checkpoint at the Attari-Wagha border, in addition to a negative RTPCR report.
Pakistan government will organise accommodations for the pilgrims, and employees of the Evacuee Trust Properties Board (ETPB) will assign room numbers in each gurdwara.
DSGMC General Secretary Jagdip Singh Kahlon said, "The accommodation for the visiting pilgrims will be arranged by the Pakistan government."
The DSGMC announced that it will establish a unique COVID-19 testing facility for the pilgrims at its Rakab Ganj Sahib office in New Delhi.
(With inputs from PTI)