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Post Operation Sindoor, Pakistan grants visas to over 2,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims for Guru Nanak birth anniversary

Post Operation Sindoor, Pakistan grants visas to over 2,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims for Guru Nanak birth anniversary

Sikh devotees gather around a bus carrying the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, during a religious procession on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, in Nankana Sahib, in the Punjab province of Pakistan, on November 15, 2024. Photograph: (AFP)

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Pakistan has granted visas to over 2,100 Indian Sikh pilgrims for Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary celebrations from Nov 4–13. The pilgrimage, the first major cross-border travel since the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, signals a rare goodwill gesture amid tense India-Pakistan ties.

Pakistan has issued visas for over 2,100 Indian Sikh pilgrims for the upcoming birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. This is the first major cross-border travel in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Indian anti-terror Operation Sindoor in May.

Pakistan High Commission confirms visa issued

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, as per reports, has confirmed the visas, saying the pilgrims will take part in Gurpurb festivities scheduled from November 4 to 13. Tens of thousands of worshippers are expected to gather in Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak’s birthplace, located about 85 kilometres west of the India-Pakistan border.

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The pilgrimage falls under the 1974 India-Pakistan Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, which allows devotees from both sides to travel for key religious events despite political tensions. The visiting jatha, coordinated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and India’s Ministry of External Affairs, will visit several revered gurdwaras, including Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal.

According to Arab News, Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in India, Saad Ahmad Warraich, while extending his best wishes to the visiting pilgrims, called the journey a "fulfilling and spiritually rewarding" journey. He said Pakistan remained committed to facilitating such visits as part of the nation's "abiding commitment to promoting inter-religious and inter-cultural harmony and understanding".

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The SGPC said it has been coordinating with Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to ensure smooth arrangements for lodging, transport, and security. "This annual pilgrimage reinforces the deep spiritual ties that bind Sikhs across borders and reflects enduring respect for the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji," SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said.

The visa announcement marks a rare gesture of goodwill after months of strain between India and Pakistan. In May, a deadly four-day confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbours — triggered by a terror attack in Kashmir — led to missile and drone exchanges that halted all civilian crossings.

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Moohita Kaur Garg

Moohita Kaur Garg is a senior sub-editor at WION with over four years of experience covering the volatile intersections of geopolitics and global security. From reporting on global...Read More