Over 100 Hindu pilgrims from India arrive in Pakistan to attend religious festivities at Katas Raj temples

Lahore: Over 100 Hindu pilgrims from India arrived in Lahore on Monday to attend religious festivities at Shri Katas Raj temples in Pakistan's Punjab province, an official said.

"A group of 109 Hindu pilgrims from India arrived Lahore via Wagah border to perform religious rituals at Shri Katas Raj for Maha Shivratri event," Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) spokesperson Ghulam Mohayuddin told PTI.

He said that the pilgrims led by Trilok Chand and Raghu Kant were warmly received at the border by Additional Secretary (Shrines) of ETPB Saifullah Khokhar, Deputy Secretary Umar Javed Awan, members of the Pakistan Hindu Mandir Management Committee, senior officials, and local Hindu leaders.

"The Hindu pilgrims have come from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Rajasthan to visit their holy places here," he said, adding that the pilgrimage arrangements have been made under the special directives of the Federal Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Chairman of ETPB Syed Ataur Rehman.

"I have visited Pakistan before, and every time I come here, I feel immense happiness. We are treated with great respect and hospitality," Raghu Kant told reporters at the Wagah border.

After their arrival, the pilgrims proceeded to Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, where they would stay overnight. On Tuesday, they will travel to the historic Katas Raj temple, where they will perform Maha Shivratri rituals on February 26.

On February 27, the pilgrims will return to Lahore from Chakwal. On March 2, they will leave for India.

Pakistan is home to several temples revered by Hindus.

The Katas Raj temple in the northeastern Chakwal district and Sadhu Bela temple in the southern Sukkur district are the two most-visited sites by Hindus, who form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.