Thousands of Sikh pilgrims visit Pakistan to celebrate Vaisakhi festival
NANKANA SAHIB, Pakistan (AP) — Thousands of Sikhs were in Pakistan on Monday to celebrate Vaisakhi, a harvest festival that marks the start of the Sikh New Year and is mostly observed in Punjab and northern India.
Pakistani authorities this year granted more than 6,500 visas to Indian Sikhs, a higher number than previous years. Visas to travel between the two countries are normally difficult to obtain, but the governments have a special arrangement that allows pilgrims to visit shrines and places of worship.
The main Vaisakhi ceremony was held in Nankana Sahib, where the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak, was born.
Gurdwara Janam Asthan is one of nine Sikh places of worship at Nankana Sahib, which is located some 75 kilometers (46 miles) west of Lahore.
Rinko Kaur traveled from India's western Gujarat state, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is from. She said she was initially hesitant about visiting Pakistan.
'My family warned me about going ... and said I should be with a group to be safe,' Kaur said.
But she said the people have been welcoming.
'I saw people coming out of their houses, waving as a welcome gesture. We feel as if we are celebrities,' said Kaur, who plans to visit other Sikh holy sites in Pakistan in the coming days.
Many Sikh holy sites are located in Pakistan after the British partitioned the subcontinent into separate nations in 1947 following two centuries of colonial rule.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Vaisakhi was a time of 'great joy for farmers." The festival also encourages a spirit of hope, unity and renewal that inspires and unites communities, Sharif added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Federal immigration raid at Omaha food production plant sparks protests
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Immigration authorities raided at least one Omaha food production plant Tuesday morning, inspiring some small protests, but details about how many workers were affected weren't immediately clear. Omaha police and the Douglas County sheriff said immigration officials had warned them about their plans, and their departments helped block off traffic around the neighborhood where many food production plants are located while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers worked. ICE officials didn't immediately respond to questions. Meatpacking plants rely heavily on immigrant workers who are willing to do the physically demanding work. The industry has not yet been the focus of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement efforts, but the administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks. Trump called out the National Guard this week to respond to ongoing protests in Los Angeles over his immigration policies. In Omaha, a small group of people came out to protest the raids, and some of them even jumped on the front bumper of a vehicle to try to stop officers. Glenn Valley Foods officials didn't immediately respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press, but WOWT reported that CEO and owner Gary Rohwer said he wasn't made aware of the operation ahead of time and that there was no warrant. 'Of course not. It's a raid,' said Rohwer, whose company makes the Gary's QuickSteak brand of ready-to-grill steak. Federal agents entered the plant around 9 a.m. Tuesday with a list of 97 people they wanted to screen, Rohwer said. He said the company regularly checks the immigration status of employees with the federal E-Verify database. The raids prompted one Douglas County Commissioner to walk out in the middle of a meeting Tuesday to head down to the area he represents in southeast Omaha where the plants are located. Commissioner Roger Garcia and City Councilman Ron Hug both expressed concern about the impact of the raids on families. 'These actions are deeply harmful to the South Omaha community,' Hug said in a statement. 'Not only are they unjust and disruptive, but they also directly undermine the economic stability and growth of District 4 and the broader community.' Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson said his agency is 'not privy to the exact nature of the ICE operation' but that his agency is there to assist with assuring 'peace and safety' of everyone in the area. Asked when he learned of the operation, he said his department received 'respectful and ample notification.' He says he got the notification about a week ago. Margery A. Beck And Josh Funk, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Protests over immigration raids popping up across the country with more planned
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Protests that sprang up in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement raids and prompted President Donald Trump to mobilize National Guard troops and Marines have begun to spread across the country, with more planned into the weekend. From Seattle to Austin to Washington D.C., marchers have chanted slogans, carried signs against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and snarled traffic through downtown avenues and outside federal offices. While many were peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement as officers made arrests used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Activists plan more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with so-called 'No Kings' events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump's planned military parade through Washington. The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests. 'ICE will continue to enforce the law,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted Tuesday on social media. A look at protests sprouting up across the country: AUSTIN Four Austin police officers were injured and authorities used chemical irritants to disperse a crowd of several hundred demonstrators Monday night that moved between the state Capitol and a federal building that houses an ICE office. State officials had closed the Capitol to the public an hour early in anticipation of the protest. Austin police used pepper spray balls and state police used tear gas when demonstrators began trying to deface the federal building with spray paint. The demonstrators then started throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at a police barricade, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said. Three officers were injured by 'very large' rocks and another hurt a shoulder while making an arrest, she said. Austin police arrested eight people, and state police arrested several more. Davis said her department is prepared for Saturday's planned protest downtown. 'We support peaceful protest,' Davis said. 'When that protests turn violent, when it turns to throwing rocks and bottles .... That will not be tolerated. Arrests will be made.' DALLAS A protest that drew hundreds to a rally on a city bridge lasted for several hours Monday night before Dallas police declared it an 'unlawful assembly' and warned people to leave or face possible arrest. Dallas police initially posted on social media that officers would not interfere with a 'lawful and peaceful assembly of individuals or groups expressing their First Amendment rights.' But officers later moved in and local media reported seeing some in the crowd throw objects as officers used pepper spray and smoke to clear the area. At least one person was arrested. 'Peaceful protesting is legal,' Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, posted on X. 'But once you cross the line, you will be arrested.' ___ SEATTLE About 50 people gathered outside the immigration court in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, chanting with drums and holding up signs that said 'Free Them All Abolish ICE' and 'No to Deportations.' The protest was initially peaceful but protesters began putting scooters in front of the entryways to the building before police arrived. Mathieu Chabaud, with Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Washington, said they were there in solidarity with the protesters in Los Angeles, 'and to show that we're opposed to ICE in our community.' Legal advocates who normally attend the immigration court hearings as observers and to provide support to immigrants were not allowed inside the building. Security guards also turned away the media. The hearings are normally open to the public. SANTA ANA In Santa Ana near Los Angeles, armored vehicles blocked the road Tuesday morning leading into the Civic Center, where federal immigration officers and numerous city and county agencies have their offices. Workers swept up plastic bottles and broken glass from Monday's protests. Tiny shards of red, black and purple glass littered the pavement. Nearby buildings and the sidewalk were tagged with profane graffiti slogans against ICE and Trump's name crossed out. A worker rolled paint over graffiti on a wall to block it out. National Guard officers wearing fatigues and carrying rifles prevented people from entering the area unless they worked there. Associated Press writers Martha Bellisle in Seattle and Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California contributed.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hungarians declare resistance to Orbán's government with a large protest
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Around 15,000 protesters filled a square in Hungary's capital on Tuesday in what organizers called the beginning of a resistance movement against the government of populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Nearly two dozen public figures including writers, actors, musicians and journalists joined the demonstration in Budapest. Most of the speakers criticized what they see as the government's increasingly anti-democratic conduct. Some alleged corruption benefiting those with ties to Orbán's Fidesz party. 'This country doesn't belong to those who lie, who rob from the people, who have sold their humanity for power,' said one speaker, Csaba Bogos. 'This country belongs to those who dare to think, who can read between the lines, who trust in themselves and each other, and believe that there is a common, peaceful future that we must build together.' It was the latest anti-government protest since Orbán's party pushed through a law in March, and a constitutional amendment the following month, that effectively banned public LGBTQ+ events. That law also allowed for authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify and fine participants in prohibited assemblies. It drew allegations that Orbán was leading the country toward a full autocracy similar to Russia under President Vladimir Putin. As national elections approach in 2026 and Orbán's party trails in most polls to a new opposition challenger, the Hungarian leader's detractors say he has turned to more authoritarian tactics to silence critics. Speakers at Tuesday's demonstration warned that a recent draft bill that would allow the government to blacklist critical media organizations and NGOs would mean the end of independent journalism and civic engagement. That bill would allow the government to monitor, restrict, penalize and potentially ban organizations it deems a threat to Hungary's national sovereignty. Its passage was recently delayed until parliament's autumn session. Some 80 leading news outlets across Europe signed a petition urging the bill to be revoked, and the European Union's executive committee said it would breach EU laws and fundamental values. Demonstrator Dániel Szabó said the law was not aimed at protecting Hungary's sovereignty, but designed to consolidate power for the governing party. 'We clearly have the situation where the government is trying to silence the opposition,' Szabó said. 'The possibility for any kind of normal coexistence or the possibility for consensus is attacked now from every direction.' Dénes Sallai, a popular musician and rapper, told the crowd he sees signs that longtime support for Orbán and his party was waning. 'The majority of people are fed up with the actions of this regime, and there appears to be a real chance that next year, after 16 years, Fidesz won't be the one to form a government,' he said.
