'Hindus cannot enter'; Indian pilgrims banned from entering Pakistan, officials send them back

NEW DELHI: Officials have sent back 14 Indians who had come to participate in the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion. The 14 Indian Hindus were sent back on the grounds that they were not Sikhs. Initially, they were allowed entry, but later it was pointed out that all 14 of them were Hindus and not Sikhs.

The group was part of a larger contingent of around 2,100 people travelling to Pakistan to celebrate the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at Nankana Sahib, his birthplace. They had obtained valid visas through the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and completed the necessary immigration formalities on the Indian side. They were initially processed at the Indian immigration check post and proceeded to the Pakistani side of the border. However, Pakistani immigration officials and Rangers stopped the group, pointing out that all 14 individuals were Hindus, not Sikhs, and were listed as Hindus on their travel documents/records.

The main venue for the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak is the Gurdwara Janmashtami, located 80 km from Lahore. The pilgrims were allowed to visit for ten days. Memebers of the pilgrims group who were granted permission to enter will visit other historic Gurudwaras like Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad, and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

The 14 are Hindu pilgrims of Sindhi origin born in Pakistan. They are based in Delhi and Lucknow and have acquired Indian citizenship. 300 of them, who had applied for visas independently, were sent back to the Indian side of the border due to lack of necessary permission from the Home Ministry. The incident comes amid tensions between the countries over the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.