Sikh Pilgrims Gather in Gurdwara Panja Sahib

Islamabad: Sikh pilgrims from all over the world on Monday poured into the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab province to celebrate the 549th birth anniversary of Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak Dev. Over 3,800 Indian Sikh pilgrims, 148 from the UK, seven from the United Arab Emirates and thousands of Sikh and Hindu devotees from various parts of Pakistan, especially Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and interior Sindh, arrived at the gurdwara deemed as the third most sacred place of Sikh religion, to perform their rituals which include ‘Akhand Path’, ‘Ashnan’, ‘Matha Tek’ and ‘Kirtan’, reports Dawn news. Elaborate security measures were taken in and around the gurdwara where dozens of officials from the security agencies were deployed. (IANS)