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Indian Sikh pilgrims travelling to Pakistan on government-approved visa have been harassed, said top government sources, adding it is a diplomatic concern. The Pakistan High Commission shared on Wednesday that it has issued over 2,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India ahead of the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak. Every visa issued involves security clearances, background verification, and coordination between multiple agencies, said sources. “When the receiving country fails to ensure the dignity and safety of visiting nationals, the entire process becomes futile,” they said. “Many of the affected Indian visitors were pilgrims and ordinary citizens, not political players. These simple people have obtained valid travel permits and were subjected to harassment, intimidation, and unnecessary scrutiny at border crossings and religious sites,” they said. “Such treatment of genuine visitors violates bilateral commitments and basic norms of hospitality. Pakistani authorities should not have issued the visas at all if they lacked the intent or capacity to facilitate safe and respectful passage,” sources said. According to sources, the issue is not only administrative but reflects a pattern of deliberate tension and social problems. “This amounts to mistreatment that undermines the basic spirit of people-to-people exchange. This is a serious matter of humanitarian sensitivity. It is a waste of time, resources, and national goodwill. This erodes public trust in any form of cross-border engagement,” they said. Indian pilgrims in Pakistan A jatha of 1,796 Sikh pilgrims from India is visiting Pakistan to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji on November 5, paying their respects at various historic gurdwaras on the occasion of ‘Parkash Purb’. The pilgrims enter Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border. Harpreet Singh, a pilgrim, appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to allow the darshan, while also suggesting that the visa procedure should be simplified so that more devotees can participate in the pilgrimage. On October 3, Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa welcomed the Centre’s decision allowing Sikh ‘jathas’ to visit Pakistan for Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birth anniversary, expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister and Home Minister for their reverence and continuity of faith ties despite strained relations. “Even after Operation Sindoor, the yatra continue to remain normal, we did not expect PM Modi to allow the yatra, but we thank him for this decision…The visa procedure should be simple so that more people can go,” Harpreet Singh, a pilgrim, said. “I express my deepest gratitude to the Prime Minister of India and the Home Minister of the country, who, despite strained relations, opened the Kartarpur shrine on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Purab in 2019, without any concern. This time, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have displayed the same sentiment and reverence by issuing a notification allowing Sikh groups to visit Pakistan. I express my gratitude,” said Sirsa. With ANI Inputs
