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LAHORE, PAKISTAN: Thousands of Sikhs from around the world congregated in the city of Nankana Sahib, about 80 km from Lahore, Pakistan, to celebrate the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. The religious leader was born in 1469. The city, usually quiet, teemed with pilgrims eager to take back souvenirs from the holy city. They shopped in-between visits to the seven gurdwaras, each symbolical of various events in Guru Nanak’s life. Pakistani President, Rafiq Tarar, formally inaugurated a newly constructed residential block on the gurdwara (Sikh temple) premises. In turn, he was presented with a ceremonial sword by leaders of the Sikh community. The celebrations concluded with a procession in which the Sikh holy book, the Granth Sahib, was carried on a flower-laden silver platform into the gurdwara. Initially the pilgrimage was slightly marred by a delay of about 12 hours at the Indian border railway station of Attari which led to protests by the Sikh community.