New Delhi | November 5, 2025
In a concerning incident highlighting the persistent religious friction in cross-border relations, Pakistan has reportedly denied entry to seven Indian citizens who were part of a Sikh pilgrimage group (jatha) traveling to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. The stated reason for the denial was simply: “You are Hindu”.
The pilgrims were traveling as part of a larger jatha, a group of Sikh devotees, to holy sites in Pakistan to mark the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The denial of entry to members of the group based on their Hindu faith has sparked immediate concern and raised questions about the criteria and discriminatory practices being employed for religious tourism visas.
The Pilgrimage and the Protocol
Every year, thousands of Sikh devotees from India travel to Pakistan to visit Gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. These visits are generally facilitated under a bilateral protocol that aims to ensure smooth travel for religious purposes.
The inclusion of Hindu members in the jatha is a common occurrence, reflecting the deep cultural and historical ties between Sikhism and Hinduism, as well as the composite nature of Indian society. The pilgrims who were denied entry were following the same religious itinerary as the Sikh members of their group.
A Step Backwards?
This incident is particularly jarring as both nations have often sought to use religious pilgrimage as a path for cultural and people-to-people exchanges, notably with the Kartarpur Corridor connecting Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.
- The reported rationale—that being Hindu disqualifies an Indian citizen from being part of a Sikh pilgrimage group—is a clear case of religious profiling.
- It directly contradicts the spirit of the pilgrimage, which celebrates a faith whose founder championed universal brotherhood and religious tolerance.
- The denial of entry based on the identity “You are Hindu” suggests an institutional bias against Indian nationals of a specific faith, even when they are part of a widely recognized religious delegation.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is expected to take up the matter with Pakistani authorities to seek an immediate clarification and ensure that such religious discrimination does not occur in future pilgrimages.
The incident casts a shadow over the festive occasion of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary, turning a spiritual journey into an unfortunate episode of bureaucratic and religious exclusion.
Would you like to search for official statements from the Indian or Pakistani governments regarding this incident, or would you be interested in an analysis of the visa protocols for religious travel between the two countries?
