As many as 447 Indian Sikh pilgrims have arrived at the Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hassanabdal to participate in rituals in connection with the 185th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Upon arrival, the pilgrims were welcomed by officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. On this occasion, Sikh Yatrees expressed satisfaction over arrangements made by the government. Sardar Khushwant Singh, who was heading the jatha of pilgrims, said the people and government of Pakistan had always been welcoming and had taken good care of the Sikh holy sites which was why the country and its people were so dear to the Sikhs. “We are feeling happy and comfortable here and we thank the government and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for making the best arrangements,” he said. Speaking on the occasion, deputy Jatha leader Harjinder Kaur said Pakistan was very important for Sikhs because this was where Guru Nanak Dev was born and died. She said the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was an important event in the Sikh religious calendar as he was the first ruler of the Sikh Empire. Ms Kaur said Sikh pilgrims came to Pakistan with the message of love, peace, friendship and harmony. She expressed gratitude to the government for granting visas to the Sikh pilgrims.