Pakistan allows Kartarpur Darbar to open for Sikh pilgrims

The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) has allowed Sikh pilgrims to come to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur to attend religious ceremonies on the occasion of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s death anniversary next month.

According to the details, the NCOC meeting unanimously decided to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur next month under the strict protocols of COVID-19.

It should be noted here that due to the delta variant of the coronavirus, India was in the ‘C’ category from May 22 to August 12, and people coming from there, including Sikh pilgrims, needed special permission.

However, now fully vaccinated persons will be allowed to enter Pakistan with a certificate for which they have to show the report of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test conducted in less than 72 hours.

Apart from this, a rapid Rapid Antigen Test will also be conducted at the airports and if the result is positive, the said person will not be allowed to enter Pakistan.

On the other hand, according to NPIs, a maximum of 300 people will be allowed to enter the court at a time.

According to a health ministry official, Pakistan had introduced three categories to deal with the coronavirus.

People from Category A countries were exempted from the mandatory quid test, while passengers from Category B countries were required to show a negative result of the PCR test conducted within 72 hours. There was a ban and they could only travel under the special instructions of the NCOC.

On the other hand, another 3,842 coronavirus cases were reported in the country and 75 patients died, bringing the number of active cases to 89,334.

Meanwhile, another 2 million doses of the Chinese vaccine arrived in Pakistan from China on Saturday.

According to a health ministry official, the vaccine was purchased by the government and arrived in Islamabad from China on Saturday.

Medical aid to Sri Lanka

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Major General (retd) Muhammad Saad Khattak and Deputy High Commissioner met with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Raja Pakistan and provided him with life-saving medical equipment from Pakistan under COVID-19.

The devices included 150 CAPAP and 75 ventilators, a Pakistan-made breathing aid machine.

“This is a strong expression of solidarity and support by the people and government of Pakistan in the fight against COVID-19 with the sisters and brothers of Sri Lanka,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the medical equipment is part of Pakistan’s SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Assistance to support regional efforts in the joint fight against the COD 19 pandemic.