Post by : Rameen Ariff

Fourteen Indian nationals, identified as Hindu pilgrims, were refused entry into Pakistan while attempting to reach Nankana Sahib to mark the 556th anniversary of Guru Nanak’s birth. Pakistani authorities reportedly returned the group, saying that only Sikh pilgrims on pre-approved lists would be granted entry.

The 14 were among roughly 2,100 Indians who had received clearance from India’s Union Home Ministry for the pilgrimage. Islamabad had issued corresponding travel documents to almost the same number. On Tuesday, about 1,900 Indian pilgrims crossed into Pakistan at the Wagah border, representing the first people-to-people movement since the May four-day military confrontation known as Operation Sindoor.

Separately, nearly 300 applicants who sought visas independently were denied departure at the Indian border checkpoint because they lacked Home Ministry authorization.

Prominent Sikh figures and delegations did cross into Pakistan, including Akal Takht leader Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the Shrimoni Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee under Bibi Gurinder Kaur, and Ravinder Singh Sweeta from the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee. The principal observance will take place at Gurdwara Janamasthan, roughly 80 kilometres from Lahore.

During the planned 10-day visit, Indian Sikh pilgrims are scheduled to visit other key sites such as Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

India-Pakistan tensions persist after Operation Sindoor, which followed a deadly attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. That assault, attributed to The Resistance Front—an offshoot of the Pakistan-linked Lashkar-e-Taiba—killed 26 people, mostly civilians.

The episode underscores the fragility of cross-border religious travel amid strained bilateral ties. While most approved pilgrims were permitted to enter, the exclusion of Hindu participants highlights gaps in coordination and the need for clearer procedures to allow inclusive pilgrimage access.

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