- Along with some locals, Indian pilgrims will perform rituals at Katas Raj temples in Chakwal
Over two hundred Hindu pilgrims from 14 states of India arrived here on Wednesday through Wagha Border to participate in the Shivaratri, an annual religious festival to be held in historic Sri Katas Raj temple complex in Chakwal district.
Speaking on the occasion, group leader Shiv Partab Bajaj thanked the government and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for development work made at the Sri Katas Raj temples where millions of rupees were being spent for restoration and renovation of Hindu religious places.
ETPB chairman Muhammad Siddiqul Farooq, local Hindu leaders and other government officers accorded a warm welcome to the pilgrims. Expressing his joy, Bajaj said that the Hindu community appreciated the visit of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to the Katas Raj temples.
The ETPB chairman said that the board was providing all possible facilities including foolproof security, accommodation, medical, journey and others to the pilgrims. He said that bilateral dialogue between Pakistan and India was the best way to resolve issues like Kashmir.
He stressed on restoration of dialogues between both the countries under current tense scenario for peace in the region. After their arrival, the pilgrims arrived in the Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore city for a one-day stay. On Thursday morning, they will leave for Chakwal, where they will perform rituals.
The pilgrims will also participate in the main ceremony at the Katas Raj temples on on Friday (Feb 24). They will return to Lahore on the very next day. They will also perform their rituals in Krishna Mandir on the Ravi Road here. The visiting pilgrims will left Pakistan for their homeland on Sunday (February 26), according to the schedule.
