Pakistan has invited Indian Sikhs to attend the 551st birth anniversary celebrations of Sikh faith’s founder, Guru Nanak Dev, an official said on Monday.

The three-day celebrations, known as Guru Nanak Gurpurab, will begin on November 27 at Nankana Sahib.

Every year, a large number of Sikh pilgrims from India and different parts of the world gather at the Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak, in Pakistan’s Punjab province to mark his birth anniversary.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to affect festivities this year. The Indian pilgrims will be offered a five-day visa to enter the country upon the proof of a mandatory Covid-19 negative test, The Express Tribune reported.

The Abandoned Waqf Property Board and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) have also sent regular invitations and itineraries to various Sikh societies, including the Shiromani Committee of India, for attending the festivities. In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Sikhs from India will be allowed to stay in the country only for a limited period of time, with no extensions.

The special five-day Nankana Sahib Visa will effectively expire on December 2.

“All pilgrims coming to partake in the festivities of Baba Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary will required to observe and abide by all Covid-19 standard operating procedures throughout their stay, even after showing the mandatory negative Covid-19 test,” an official of the country's Waqf board said.

According to PSGPC head sardar Satwant Singh, the schedule of their stay in Pakistan had to be revised in consideration of closed borders and the rising coronavirus tally in India.

“There will be no new restrictions placed on the number of Indian Sikh pilgrims making the journey,” he said. As per the Pakistan-India agreement, 3,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims will be allowed entry into the country.