CHAKWAL: KamakshiVairaji, who made her first visit to Katas Raj, the home of Lord Shiva, from Mumbai this year, was awed by the welcome she received from her Pakistani hosts.
\n\u201cI cannot describe the love and hospitality showered on us by the Pakistani people and government,\u201d a visibly excited MsVairaji told Dawn at the Katas Raj Temple Complex.
\n\u201cNext year, I will come with my husband and kids.\u201d
\nMsVairaji is one of 180 pilgrims from various Indian states on a week-long visit to Pakistan to celebrate Shivaratri, a significant Hindu festival that celebrates Lord Shiva and his wife, the goddess Parvati.
\nIndian pilgrims praise hospitality, arrangements at Katas Raj
\nA reception was held at Katas Raj for the pilgrims on Friday evening, which was chaired by Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Mohammad SiddiqulFarooq and attended by the Indian deputy high commissioner, J.P. Singh.
\nRecitations were made from the Holy Geeta and Holy Quran, and the pilgrims were gifted large, framed prints of the Katas Raj temples, while the pilgrims presented framed photographs of the Kaaba and Prophet Muhammad\u2019s (PBUH) tomb to their hosts.
\nIn his speech, MrFarooq assured the pilgrims they would always receive the same love and warm welcome. \u201cLet us pray that the love we are witnessing today for one another be emanated in the relations of Pakistan and India,\u201d he said.
\nRegretting the expenditure on weapons by both countries, he said instead of giving huge revenues to those making weapons thousands of miles away, we should spend money on our people.
\n\u201cOur living style, our attire, our language, our heritage, our culture are all the same \u2013 why do we fight,\u201d he asked. MrFarooq also emphasised an immediate and peaceful solution of the Kashmir dispute, adding: \u201cI wish to witness the day when the people of both countries do not need any documents to travel to each other\u2019s country.\u201d
\nMr Singh lauded MrFarooq\u2019s services for the pilgrims, saying: \u201cAlthough we had some security concerns, SiddiqulFarooq dispelled all our fears.\u201d
\nThe leader of the pilgrims\u2019 caravan, Shiv Partab Bajaj, who was born in Multan, thanked the ETPB and the Pakistani government for the arrangements made for the pilgrims.
\nHe said the number of pilgrims at Katas Raj has been increasing.
\n\u201cAfter partition, the first caravan came to Katas Raj in 1982, which had twenty pilgrims including myself. At that time the situation at Katas Raj was not developed. But now its face has been changed. A lot of development has been carried out and we are very grateful to the Pakistani government for this,\u201d he said.
\nSatbirHira from New Delhi, whose parents were from Rawalpindi, recited a song in Punjabi while PremSagar moved the audience with a poem.
\nThe pilgrims bathed in the holy pond, and worshipped at night, before leaving Katas Raj on Saturday for Lahore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHAKWAL: KamakshiVairaji, who made her first visit to Katas Raj, the home of Lord Shiva, from Mumbai this year, was awed by the welcome she received from her Pakistani hosts. \u201cI cannot describe the love and hospitality showered on us by the Pakistani people and government,\u201d a visibly excited MsVairaji told Dawn at the Katas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13349,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n