Sikh leaders urge India to lift ban on pilgrims traveling to Pakistan shrine

Sikh leaders on both sides of the border urged India’s federal government to lift a ban that blocks Sikh pilgrims from traveling to Pakistan for the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Indian authorities announced on Sept. 12 that Sikhs would not be allowed to cross into Pakistan for the observance, citing security concerns.

Mahesh Singh, vice president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, said the decision violates international norms and moral values and undermines the community’s ability to observe a holy event. He noted that thousands of Indian Sikhs had hoped to participate in November’s weeklong anniversary marking Guru Nanak’s birth. There was no immediate comment from New Delhi. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which oversees Sikh shrines in India, said the decision hurt religious sentiments and risked fueling broader tensions. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the central government of double standards, saying New Delhi had recently allowed a cricket match with Pakistan while denying permission for the pilgrimage.

The dispute comes as India and Pakistan remain at odds over diplomacy and security, with relations strained since a series of tit-for-tat actions in May and an earlier deadly attack in disputed Kashmir. Though a U.S.-brokered cease-fire has held, travel between the two countries remains heavily restricted.

Pakistan has repeatedly said Sikh and other religious pilgrims from India are welcome to visit shrines in Pakistan under existing arrangements. The Kartarpur Corridor, opened in 2019, created a visa-free border crossing for Sikhs from India to the Kartarpur shrine in eastern Punjab’s Narowal district, about 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) from the border. The shrine is considered the second-holiest site in Sikhism. The corridor has drawn thousands of pilgrims in past years, underscoring the cross-border religious ties that persist despite political strains.

In Narowal, the shrine and surrounding villages were inundated last month when heavy rains and water released from overflowing Indian dams caused flooding across the district, affecting more than 100,000 people. Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif ordered the water drained and the site restored, with the shrine reopened for worship and visits within a week.

Pakistani official Ghulam Mohiuddin said arrangements for lodging and food were being finalized for Sikh pilgrims traveling from India and abroad, and that visas would be granted through Pakistan’s high commission in New Delhi if India lifts the ban. Separately, Gyani Harpreet Singh, another Sikh leader, questioned the decision on X, arguing that if India and Pakistan can play cricket, Sikhs should also be allowed to visit Pakistan for religious observances. He urged New Delhi not to play with the emotions of Sikhs.

Officials emphasized that, despite the tensions, Pakistan remains prepared to welcome pilgrims and that the broader religious significance of Kartarpur remains a symbol of cross-border faith and history. Many of Sikhism’s holiest sites lay in present-day Pakistan, a legacy of the partition of British India in 1947. If the Indian government reverses course, officials said, a record number of Indian Sikhs could visit Kartarpur this year.

Associated Press writers Aijaz Hussain contributed to this report from Srinagar, India.