Mariamabad (AsiaNews) – The 57th annual Marian pilgrimage came to an end without any sectarian tensions in an atmosphere "free from any kind of religious discrimination", with Christians and Muslims thronging together to the great Marian shrine in Mariamabad, one of Asia's most venerated religious sites.

The pilgrimage, held between September 7 and 10, drew hundreds of thousands of people, including many Muslims.

Known as "Asia's Lourdes", Mariamabad is some 80 kilometres from Lahore in north-eastern Pakistan.

Mubarak Masih, 31, converted to Christianity five years ago from Islam. He told AsiaNews that he heard about the pilgrimage from some friends. "My life is difficult because of my conversion, but praying to Our Lady is a source of comfort. She is the one who keeps me going," he said.

"When my relatives found out that I had converted to Christianity, they attacked me like a pack and broke my right leg. During my recovery and convalescence, I prayed to Mary who helped me feel less pain and heal more quickly."

"There were times when I felt a sharp pain in my leg and so I offer it [to Mary] and it went away. Now I am doing well, and I feel the Virgin is close to me".

Muhammad Husain, 28, completed the journey with his friend Niamat Ali, 22, both devout Muslims. They work in a factory in Gujranwala and heard about the event from a Christian workmate. "We respect a lot Mary and came to show it," they said.

"We have been coming here, every year, since we were kids," said four other young Muslims. "We repeat the experience because of the atmosphere. There are no religious tensions, no discrimination, just love and faith."

Indrias Yaqoob is a catechist who accompanied a group of faithful to the shrine. He told AsiaNews that "as early as a week before the pilgrimage, thousands of people had already arrived from every corner of the country, including many Muslim women. People have a special devotion to Mary. They wait long hours just to touch the statue and leave their gifts."

Safia Bibi, 50, has been coming to the shrine for the past 22 years. Speaking to AsiaNews she said: "I had been married for eight years but had not yet had any children. I came here to ask to be blessed with child and pledged that I would keep coming if my request was granted. Now I have four children and I keep on coming to give thanks. And I'll do this with my family until I die."