The Union government has refused permission to send a Sikh jatha (group of pilgrims) to Pakistan for Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak’s Parkash Parb in November this year, citing security concerns.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had started the process earlier this year in July, gathering passports of intending devotees and sending applications to the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi for the necessary visas for the 10-day pilgrimage. However, in a letter sent to the chief secretary of Punjab and other neighbouring states, the Union ministry of home affairs stated that the current security situation between India and Pakistan made it unsafe for pilgrims to travel.

“Considering the prevailing security scenario with Pakistan, it would not be possible to send the Sikh pilgrims’ jatha to Pakistan on the occasion of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Gurparb in November 2025. We request that Sikh organisations in your state are informed and that the processing of jatha applications is stopped immediately,” reads the letter, dated September 12, sent by the under secretary of the Union ministry of home affairs to the chief secretary of Punjab and other neighbouring states.

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After the Pahalgam terror attack in April this year, which claimed the lives of 26 people, the Union government tightened travel restrictions, barring Indian citizens from travelling to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border checkpost. In response, Pakistan suspended all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.

SGPC condemns move

The decision has sparked outrage, with SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami condemning the government’s refusal. “This decision is an insult to the religious sentiments of Sikh pilgrims. While cricket matches are being played between India and Pakistan, pilgrims wishing to visit their religious shrines are being denied this right in the name of security,” Dhami said.

He appealed to the Union government to reconsider the decision, pointing out that the Sikh pilgrimage to Pakistan has been a long-standing tradition, with Sikh jathas visiting Pakistan for Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary for decades. “Since Partition, Indian Sikhs have been allowed to visit their religious shrines in Pakistan without interruption. This is the first time such a situation has occurred,” Dhami added.

Guru Nanak’s Parkash Gurparb is a major religious occasion for Sikhs worldwide, with many travelling to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan to pay homage at the Guru’s birthplace. The Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950 allows Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan’s sacred shrines on four key occasions — Baisakhi (Khalsa Panth foundation), Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom day, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary.

In the past, thousands of Indian Sikhs have visited Pakistan for the Guru Nanak Gurpurab celebrations. In 2023, over 5,800 Indian pilgrims travelled to Pakistan’s gurdwaras to mark the Khalsa Foundation Day (Baisakhi), setting a record.