Pakistan's new low: Why Hindu pilgrims were stopped from visiting Nankana Sahib | Explained

Indian Sikh pilgrims queue at the India-Pakistan Wagah border in Wagah on November 4, 2025, for their visit to Pakistan to pay their respects on the eve of celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)

What should have been a solemn and spiritual occasion turned into a diplomatic embarrassment for Pakistan on Wednesday. In an act widely condemned as discriminatory and provocative, Pakistani authorities barred 12 Hindu pilgrims from entering the country, even though they were part of the Sikh jatha visiting Nankana Sahib to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

The incident has sparked outrage across social media, with many accusing Islamabad of trying to create religious divides and sabotaging goodwill gestures between India and Pakistan.

This year’s Sikh jatha was not just another religious journey. It was the first Indian pilgrimage to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor, the recent episode of hostilities between the two nations. The group was headed to Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, to mark his 556th birth anniversary.

Initially, the Indian government had withheld permission for the visit citing security concerns. Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal had publicly urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reconsider, calling the decision “hurtful.” He said, “Sikh devotees have deep religious sentiments attached to visiting Sri Nankana Sahib. The Kartarpur Corridor should be opened.”

After several appeals, New Delhi allowed the pilgrimage. Around 2,100 people received clearance to travel, and nearly 1,900 crossed into Pakistan through the Wagah border on Tuesday.

The controversy began on the Pakistani side of the border, where officials denied entry to 12 pilgrims, all of them Hindus, who were part of the same Sikh delegation. According to a Times of India report, most of them came from Delhi and Lucknow.

Witnesses said the Pakistani authorities at the immigration counter told the group they could not proceed to Nankana Sahib because “only those listed as Sikhs” would be allowed on the bus to the shrine. The rest were forced to return to India humiliated.

Amar Chand, a Delhi resident who had travelled with seven family members including four women, described the ordeal. “We were part of the Sikh jatha and wanted to go for the pilgrimage, but we were sent back just because we are Hindus. The Pakistani official told us, ‘What will you do in this Jatha’?” he told India Today.

He also alleged financial misconduct, saying, “Pakistan looted them,” referring to the fact that none of the pilgrims were refunded their bus fares.

An Indian intelligence officer told The Times of India that the episode was “unprecedented” and warned that “Pakistan could repeat such actions in the future, even against devotees travelling to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, via Kartarpur Corridor.”

Senior Indian government sources strongly criticised Pakistan’s conduct, calling it a diplomatic breach and a violation of humanitarian norms.

“When the receiving country fails to ensure the dignity and safety of visiting nationals, the entire process becomes futile,” the officials told News18. They added that “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.”

The sources further stated, “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.”

Pakistan’s discriminatory treatment of Indian pilgrims is not new. For years, Islamabad has imposed a 20-dollar fee on Indian visitors using the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, even though locals are exempt from paying. As of last year, Pakistan had collected nearly Rs 51 crore in such fees.

In 2018, India had also protested the harassment of its consular officials who accompanied Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Sacha Sauda. Despite having formal clearance from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the officials were denied access to the sites.

India has accused Pakistan of exploiting religious pilgrimages to spread propaganda and “promote secessionist tendencies.” On multiple occasions, banners promoting the Khalistan movement have been displayed along routes leading to sacred sites, an attempt that New Delhi says is aimed at sowing division among Indian communities.

By denying Hindu pilgrims entry to Nankana Sahib, Pakistan has once again revealed its duplicity. What could have been an opportunity to foster goodwill and religious harmony was turned into a spectacle of discrimination and hostility.

For many observers, this latest episode is yet another reminder that Pakistan continues to weaponise religion to score political points, at the cost of both faith and diplomacy.