Key Takeaways
- Around 100 Pakistani Sikhs were stopped from flying to India for religious rituals.
- Immigration authorities cited lack of return tickets and NOC as reasons for the halt.
- Pilgrims had planned to travel through the Gulf due to the absence of direct transport links.
Around 100 Pakistani Sikhs, including women and children, were prevented from boarding a flight to India at Faisalabad International Airport on Friday. The pilgrims were planning to perform religious rituals at Gurdwara Sri Hemkund Sahib in India.
Immigration officials at the airport cited the absence of return tickets and a no objection certificate (NOC) from the relevant federal ministry as the reasons for stopping the group. The pilgrims had obtained their Indian visas independently, without involving the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) or the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which are typically involved in facilitating Sikh pilgrimage-related travel.
The group had planned to travel through the Gulf rather than using the Wagah border, which is currently the only direct land route between Pakistan and India. The absence of direct air, rail, or regular road travel links between the two countries makes pilgrimage journeys particularly complicated.
The situation at the airport caused distress among the pilgrims, with videos circulating on social media showing Sikh passengers appealing to the authorities to allow them to proceed. One pilgrim said they had been waiting at the airport for around four hours after being stopped by immigration officials.
Another pilgrim made an emotional appeal to the government, urging it to allow the group to travel to India so that they could perform their religious obligations at the sacred Sikh shrine. Gurdwara Sri Hemkund Sahib, located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, is one of the most revered Sikh pilgrimage sites in India and is associated with Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru.
An official source told Dawn that the government had taken notice of the matter and was considering allowing the pilgrims to travel to India via the Wagah border. The development comes at a time when religious travel between Pakistan and India remains subject to heightened scrutiny and complicated procedures.
The incident highlights the challenges faced by pilgrims and religious travelers in the absence of normal bilateral transport links between the two countries. The government is currently exploring ways to facilitate such journeys, but the process remains cumbersome and time-consuming.
