At the Attari-Wagah border, fourteen individuals hoping to participate in the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan were reportedly turned away. Pakistani immigration officials allegedly cited the pilgrims’ Hindu background, telling them they were ‘not Sikh.’ The group, composed of seven individuals from Delhi and seven from Lucknow, had reportedly paid ₹13,000 each for a bus travel arrangement, a sum that was not returned after their entry was refused.
This refusal contrasts with the broader approval granted for the pilgrimage. The Union Home Ministry had greenlit travel for around 2,100 people to Pakistan for the event, with Islamabad issuing travel documents for a comparable number. By Tuesday, an estimated 1,900 pilgrims had successfully crossed into Pakistan through the Wagah border, signifying a key instance of bilateral engagement since the ‘Operation Sindoor’ period.
Leading a delegation of Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan for the Gurpurab celebrations is Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib. He entered Pakistan on November 4. The main religious ceremony will occur at Gurdwara Janamasthan, located approximately 80 kilometers from Lahore. The Indian pilgrims’ ten-day visit encompasses paying homage at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad, and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.
Separately, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has pressed for the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor. Speaking to reporters after attending prayers at the Golden Temple on Guru Purab, Mann stressed the importance of the corridor being reopened by the government independently. He pointed to the existing interactions between India and Pakistan, including cricket matches, and the short-duration access for devotees to Kartarpur Sahib, advocating for the Home and External Affairs Ministries to make its reopening a priority.