250 Hindu pilgrims including those from UAE arrive in Pakistan to visit century-old temple

The pilgrims from the UAE, the US, India, and other countries are visiting the temple at the invitation of the Pakistan Hindu Council, according to a report by Dawn.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has flown 159 Indian Hindu pilgrims from Lahore to Peshawar en route to Karak, where they will visit a century-old temple, Samaa TV reported.

A total of 250 Hindu pilgrims from the UAE, the US, India, and other countries are visiting the temple at the invitation of the Pakistan Hindu Council, according to a report by Dawn.

The national flag carrier on Saturday operated a special flight to facilitate the Indian pilgrims, who earlier in the day arrived in Pakistan through the Wagah-Attari border.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s Ramesh Kumar Vankwani received the pilgrims at the Wagah border.

They were then flown to Peshawar where they will make a one-day stopover before proceeding to Karak in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Samaa TV reported.

The pilgrims will visit the Teri temple in Karak. The temple in Teri village of Karak is devoted to Paramhans Ji Maharaj, a Hindu saint who died in 1919, and houses his mausoleum, according to Indo-Asian News Service.

It is the same temple that was restored on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan after vandalism in 2020.

The 159 yatris (pilgrims) who arrived from India will also visit the Katas Raj temple complex in Punjab's Chakwal during their four-day tour.

Vankwani, also the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, told reporters that there would be exchange of delegations between Pakistan and India every month.

"The year 2022 will begin between Pakistan and India with religious tourism," he said adding that trade visits would also follow soon.