About 100 Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan barred from traveling to India — Dawn
At Faisalabad International Airport in Pakistan, about 100 Sikh pilgrims, including women and children, were unable to continue their journey to India to perform religious rites at the Gurdwara Sri Hemkund Sahib. Immigration authorities questioned their documents and the organization of the trip.
According to Dawn, the pilgrims obtained Indian visas independently and arrived at the airport to board a flight toward the Gulf countries, from where they planned to continue to India.
Concerns over documents
According to a senior Punjab provincial government official, immigration authorities did not allow the group to continue their journey because they lacked return tickets and a no-objection certificate from the relevant federal ministry.
The same official said that the pilgrims had obtained Indian visas without the involvement of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Evacuee Trust Property Board. These bodies are usually involved in organizing Sikh pilgrimage trips.
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The official also noted that the group chose a route through the Gulf countries rather than crossing the border through Wagah.
Pilgrims appealed for help
There are currently no direct air links, rail connections, or regular road services between Pakistan and India, so the pilgrims planned to reach India via an indirect air route.
After immigration authorities stopped their journey, videos spread on social media showing Sikh passengers appealing to the authorities to allow them to continue their trip. One pilgrim said that the group had spent about four hours at the airport. Another asked the government to permit the journey so that the pilgrims could fulfill their religious obligations.
Gurdwara Sri Hemkund Sahib is located in Chamoli district in India's Uttarakhand state and is one of the revered Sikh pilgrimage sites. The shrine is associated with the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. According to the publication's source, the Pakistani government was considering allowing the group to reach India through the Wagah border crossing.
