ISLAMABAD 

Hundreds of Sikh pilgrims from India arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday, marking the first major cross-border movement between the two South Asian neighbors since the May conflict.

At the Wagah border, in the eastern province of the Punjab, Pakistani officials, including provincial Minority Affairs Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, received the pilgrims, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The pilgrims are visiting Pakistan to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, which take place from Nov. 4 to Nov. 13 in the Nankana Sahib district, the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak, located around 80 kilometers (49 miles) from the provincial capital Lahore.

Last week, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said it had issued over 2,100 visas to Sikh devotees under the 1974 bilateral protocol on visits to religious shrines.

​​​​​During their stay in Pakistan, Sikh pilgrims will visit their revered sites, including Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.

Thousands of Sikhs from across the globe have already arrived in Pakistan, who will also visit the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara.

The Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, situated in Narowal district some 115 km (71 mi) from the provincial capital Lahore, is one of the most revered places for the Sikh community, as Baba Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life there.

The Wagah-Attari border has remained closed since April this year after Pakistan and India tensions escalated into four-day clashes, following the April 22 attack at the Pahalgam tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir.