Pakistan has temporarily relaxed its mutually agreed limit with India of 10 days advance intimation before the arrival of Sikh pilgrims to the revered Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan for the 552nd birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, according to a media report on Friday.

Geo News reported quoting sources that the decision has been taken by Pakistan as a sign of respect for the religious sentiments of the Sikh pilgrims due to India's recent decision to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor ahead of the celebrations at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Pakistan has given a relaxation till November 30 and expects the Indian government will follow the agreed process for visitors from December 1 onwards, the news channel reported on its website.

India and Pakistan are both required to process lists of Sikh pilgrims 10 days before their visit to Kartarpur to allow for necessary procedural clearances.

The over four km-long Kartarpur Corridor, which links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district, reopened on Wednesday.

The pilgrimage to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara was suspended in March last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sikh pilgrims have been crossing the border into Pakistan from India and the rest of the world since Wednesday to celebrate the 552nd birth anniversary of their religion's founder.

Over 240 Sikh pilgrims from India visited the revered Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan using the visa-free Kartarpur Corridor on Friday to take part in the main ceremony in connection with the 552nd birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev. The main ceremony was held at Gurdwara Janaasthan Nankana Sahib, some 80 kilometers from Lahore, on Friday. Over 2,500 Sikhs from India, who arrived here through the Wagah border, and a large number of local pilgrims participated in the ceremony.

The Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free crossing allowing Indian Sikhs to visit the temple in Pakistan where Guru Nanak died in 1539, first opened in 2019 for Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary.

The white-domed shrine in Kartarpur, a small town about 4 kilometres inside Pakistan, had remained out of reach for Indian Sikhs for decades owing to hostile relations between India and Pakistan. An estimated 20,000 Sikhs were in Pakistan after millions fled to India following the Partition of 1947.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noorul Haq Qadri was the chief guest at the ceremony in Nankana Sahib.

Langar (community feast) was arranged for all pilgrims as dozens of Sikh women chopped vegetables, kneaded flour, and made bread in the gurdwara kitchens. Kar Seva is considered a religious duty in the Sikh faith.

At Kartarpur, Bibi Jagir Kaur, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), along with a delegation visited the temple.

A total of 242 Indians, including deputy chief minister of Punjab and Jagir Kaur, visited Kartarpur Sahab today, Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit chief executive officer Muhammad Latif told PTI.

They performed religious rituals. On Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, along with 37 people including his Cabinet ministers, visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Opposition Pakistan People's Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in a statement that it was the late Benazir Bhutto who had first given the proposal of building a visa-free Kartarpur Corridor.

Today we need more interfaith harmony, Bilawal said and welcomed Sikhs in Pakistan on this occasion.

Wishing 552nd Guru Nanak Dev Ji Jayanti to all Sikhs around the world. On this auspicious occasion, we welcome thousands of Sikhs to visit their religious sites in Pakistan. I reiterate my govt's commitment to continue facilitating them to perform their religious rituals, Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a tweet.

Pilgrimage to the gurdwara was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Indian government reopened the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor from its side on Wednesday.

In November 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan had formally inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor as part of the commemoration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak at a colourful ceremony, paving the way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their religion's holiest sites in Pakistan without needing a visa.

(With inputs from PTI)