Sikh devotees celebrate Baisakhi in Hasanabdal
islamabad — Around 10,000 followers of Sikh religion including 2,400 devotees from India participated in the 315th festival of Baisakhi, which concluded at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal on Sunday.
The remote northwestern Punjab town Hasanabdal, some 45km from Islamabad, remains sleepy throughout the year, but comes to life during the annual Sikh festival of Baisakhi.
The Sikh devotees are visiting Pakistan from April 10 to 19. Besides Hasanabdal they would also visit Nankana Sahib and Lahore.
Every year, the believers of the Sikh religion visit the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in large numbers from abroad and within the country to celebrate the festival.
This time around, too, it is no different. Streets, especially those near the gurdwara, are swarmed by followers of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.
Mena Bhatia, 54, a resident of Sant Nagar in New Delhi, reached Pakistan on April 10 to participate in the Baisakhi festival at Panja Sahib.
“It was my dream to visit Panja Sahib during my life. I am happy that I have succeeded in fulfilling my dream,” she said.
She expressed her happiness about visiting Pakistan, while add- ing that thousands of Indians also wished to visit their religious places that were situated in Pakistan, but were unable to do so due to the difficulties in obtaining a Pakistani visa.
Gurpreet Singh, 32, from the Bhatinda district of the Indian Punjab expressed similar sentiments about his visit to Pakistan. “It has been an amazing visit. I had not expected such a remarkable welcome in Pakistan,” he said.