Pakistan‘s caretaker Non secular Affairs Minister Aneeq Ahmed on Thursday mentioned the nation has initiated efforts to extend the variety of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India as their numbers have dwindled lately, amidst the nippiness in bilateral ties. Talking to reporters throughout his go to to the Evacuee Property Belief Board (EPTB), which takes care of the holy locations of minorities within the nation, Ahmed mentioned that underneath an settlement between Pakistan and India not less than 7,500 Sikh and 1,000 Hindu pilgrims from India may go to Pakistan every year. “For the reason that variety of Indian pilgrims is lower than the agreed one over the past a few years, we now have initiated efforts to extend the variety of pilgrims from India,” he mentioned.
There are two main occasions — Baba Guru Nanak’s start anniversary and Vaisakhi Mela — celebrated in Pakistan during which round 5,000 Indian Sikhs participated final 12 months.
Equally, lower than 300 Indian Hindus visited Pakistan final 12 months to rejoice the start anniversary of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Sawami Shadaram Sahib at Hayat Pitafi Sindh province and Katas Raj temples in Chakwal, Punjab province, final 12 months.
Bilateral relations between Islamabad and New Delhi have been tense since August 2019 when India modified the particular standing of Jammu and Kashmir.
On India’s ties with Pakistan, Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has made it clear that it isn’t doable for India to have regular relations with the neighbouring nation till the coverage of cross-border terrorism is abrogated.
Ahmed mentioned that the ETPB supplied scholarships value 13 million Pakistani Rupees to non-Muslim college students within the nation final 12 months.
The minister mentioned a whole lot of work must be finished to extend spiritual tourism to advertise the mushy picture of Pakistan.
EPTB Chairman Ataur Rehman advised the federal minister that the board owns 109,000 acres of agricultural and non-agricultural land throughout the nation.
He mentioned the sort of efforts that the Authorities of Jammu and Kashmir put in for the yatra have been exemplary and he was sure that the pilgrims will return because the ambassadors of the Union Territory.
