Travel restriction on Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan sparks uproar

Sikh pilgrims have expressed strong reaction after being barred from travelling to Pakistan, according to Indian media reports.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs has stopped the pilgrims from making the journey, citing prevailing tensions and security concerns between the two countries.
An advisory issued by the ministry formally prevented the travel, Indian media said.

Opposition parties and Sikh religious leaders in Indian Punjab condemned the decision. They remarked that if cricket matches could be held with Pakistan, then there was no justification for stopping Sikh pilgrims from visiting.

Sikh pilgrims were scheduled to travel to Pakistan in November for the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the central government had no right to obstruct religious freedom, adding that if cricket matches could take place with Pakistan, it was unreasonable to stop the pilgrims.

Former Lok Sabha member Sukhbir Singh Badal urged Home Minister Amit Shah to reconsider the decision. He stressed that not granting access to Kartarpur would hurt religious sentiments and demanded the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor.

Thousands of Sikh pilgrims come to Pakistan every year to commemorate Baisakhi and other religious holidays.

These visits are facilitated under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, aimed at fostering religious harmony and cross-border understanding.

Ahead of this year’s Baisakhi festivities, the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi issued more than 6,500 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims, allowing them to visit revered shrines in Pakistan between April 10 and 19, including Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

It may be noted that relations between Pakistan and India have plunged to their lowest point in years following the deadly gun attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where 26 tourists, including one Nepali national, were shot dead in Pahalgam’s scenic Baisaran Valley.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack — allegations that Islamabad denies. Following that, India launched an attack on Pakistan, branded as “Operation Sindoor”, but met with a befitting response.

The Pakistani armed forces not only shot down Indian drones that came into Pakistani territory, destroyed their check posts on the border, but also shot down their fighter jets, including the French-made Rafale.

The conflict ended after United States President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between the arch-rival nations.