Pakistan Issues Over 2,100 Visas To Sikh Pilgrims From India | World News

NEW DELHI: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday said it has issued more than 2,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab celebrations next month. “Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 2,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the Birth Celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji to be held in Pakistan from 04-13 November 2025,” Pakistan High Commission said on X. he said.

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

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

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

India had also urged Pakistan not to impose any fees or charges on pilgrims, considering pilgrims’ demands to waive the US$20 service fee that Pakistan charges per pilgrim per visit.

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

The temple was closed to people coming from the Indian border after partition in 1947. The Gurdwara was opened to pilgrims after repairs and restoration in 1999, and since then Sikh jathas have been visiting the shrine regularly.

Services on the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor were suspended earlier this year due to the security scenario following the heinous Pahalgam terror attacks on April 22.

Earlier this year, Pakistani authorities came under intense criticism after floodwaters entered the sacred site of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Meanwhile, many reports have also stated that Pakistan’s intelligence and security apparatus is planning to spread anti-India rhetoric during the upcoming visit of Indian Sikh pilgrims or “jathas”.

A report published in ‘Khalsa Vox’ said, “Rumors on social media point to an inter-agency meeting held at Hotel Gulberg in Lahore on August 2, attended by representatives from security agencies, Evacuation Trust Property Board (ETPB) and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC). While security agencies have reportedly floated the idea of using anti-India banners and slogans in Gurdwaras, both ETPB and PSGPC strongly opposed this proposal.” It was mentioned.

The report stated that an ETPB Additional Secretary had warned that politicizing the pilgrimage could prompt India to suspend such visits indefinitely; This is a setback that financially strapped boards cannot afford.

It was highlighted in social media posts that ETPB has already suffered losses of around 70 million Pakistani rupees per month since the closure of the Kartarpur Corridor on May 8; It’s a blow compounded by the cancellation of two major annual Sikh pilgrimages.