Pakistan Denies Entry to 14 Hindu Devotees Traveling with Sikh Pilgrims for Guru Nanak Jayanti

According to reports, the Hindu pilgrims — hailing from Delhi and Lucknow — were stopped by Pakistani officials after crossing the border and were told they could not continue with the Sikh pilgrimage.

“You Are Hindu, You Cannot Go with a Sikh Jatha”

One of the devotees, Amar Chand, told the media that Pakistani officers specifically cited their religion as the reason for denying them entry.

“Pakistani officials told us, ‘You are Hindu, you cannot go with a Sikh jatha.’ We had already cleared Indian immigration and bought bus tickets worth ₹95,000 (Pakistani currency), but we were asked to step down and were sent back,” Chand said.

Chand, a former Pakistani national who settled in India in 1999 and became an Indian citizen in 2010, was traveling with six family members. Another seven people from Lucknow were also part of the group denied entry, bringing the total to 14 devotees.

Pilgrimage Details and Official Response

The Sikh jatha, comprising nearly 1,900 pilgrims, had crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday for the ‘Parkash Purb’ celebrations — the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.

An intelligence official stationed at the border confirmed that while some Hindus were turned back, others in the jatha were allowed entry.

“Those who were sent back are Hindus by faith and originally from Pakistan but now Indian citizens. Their documents were cleared by Indian authorities, but Pakistan rejected them after verification,” the official said.

He added that several Hindu followers of Guru Nanak who regularly participate in such pilgrimages faced no issues this time.

SGPC Clarifies: Hindu Pilgrims Are Regular Participants

Palwinder Singh, who oversees the pilgrimage department of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), stated that around 40 members of this year’s jatha are Hindu devotees — and nearly all of them were allowed entry without any problem.

“This is not new. Many Hindu devotees who revere Guru Nanak travel to Pakistan each year. They are usually not stopped because of their religion,” he said.

Visa and Clearance Issues

Apart from the 14 devotees denied entry, over 200 people who applied for visas independently were reportedly turned back on the Indian side due to lack of required clearances from the Union Home Ministry.

Celebrations and Routes

The main Sikh jatha will remain in Pakistan from November 4 to 13, visiting several historic gurdwaras, including:

·         Gurdwara Nankana Sahib (birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji)

·         Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal

·         Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur

·         Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, Farooqabad

·         Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore

·         Gurdwara Rori Sahib, Gujranwala

Background

The annual pilgrimage takes place under the Nehru–Liaquat Pact of 1950, which allows Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan’s sacred sites during four major religious occasions: Baisakhi, Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s martyrdom day, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death anniversary, and Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birth anniversary.

Initially, the Indian government had expressed security concerns about sending pilgrims to Pakistan this year in the aftermath of rising tensions post Operation Sindoor. However, the trip was eventually cleared after coordination between the two sides.

The incident, however, has cast a shadow over what is usually seen as a gesture of religious harmony and cross-border faith.