Pakistan issues over 2100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India

New Delhi: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday stated that it has issued over 2100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the Guru Nanak Jayanti, or Gurpurab, celebrations next month.

“The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 2100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the Birth Celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, to be held in Pakistan from 04-13 November 2025,” the Pakistani High Commission posted on X.

Both countries had last year agreed through diplomatic channels to extend the validity of the Agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for a further period of five years.

The Agreement, signed on 24 October 2019 to facilitate the visit of pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, was valid for a period of five years.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the extension of the validity of this agreement ensured uninterrupted operation of the Corridor for use by the pilgrims from India to visit the holy Gurdwara in Pakistan.

India had also urged Pakistan to not levy any fee or charges on the pilgrims, considering the continued requests of pilgrims regarding the removal of USD 20 service charge levied by Pakistan per pilgrim per visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019 when the first lot of 550 Indian pilgrims, led by late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, visited the holy shrine across the border.

The shrine was closed to people coming from across India’s border after the partition in 1947. The gurdwara was opened to pilgrims after repairs and restoration in 1999, and Sikh jathas have been visiting the shrine regularly ever since.

The services of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor were suspended earlier this year in view of the security scenario following the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks.

Earlier this year, the Pakistani authorities came in for massive criticism after floodwaters entered the sanctum of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Meanwhile, several reports also indicated that Pakistan’s intelligence and security apparatus has plans to push anti-India narratives during the upcoming visit of Indian Sikh pilgrims, or “jathas” to the country.

“Social media chatter points to an inter-agency meeting held on August 2 at Hotel Gulberg in Lahore, attended by representatives from security agencies, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC). While the security agencies reportedly floated the idea of using anti-India banners and slogans at Gurdwaras, both the ETPB and PSGPC strongly opposed the proposal,” a report in ‘Khalsa Vox’ mentioned.

The report stated that an ETPB Additional Secretary warned that politicising the pilgrimage might prompt India to suspend such visits indefinitely, a setback the financially-struggling boards can hardly afford.

It highlighted that social media posts claim the ETPB has already incurred losses of nearly 70 million Pakistani rupees per month since the closure of the Kartarpur Corridor on May 8, a blow further compounded by the cancellation of two major annual Sikh pilgrimages.

IANS