Chandigarh: Sikh devotees will not be allowed to travel to Pakistan this November to mark the Parkash Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, as the Government of India has denied permission citing prevailing tensions and security concerns between the two countries.
According to media reports an official communication issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have been informed that no Sikh jatha will be permitted to visit Pakistan this year. The letter, issued by the ministry’s under secretary, instructs state governments not to initiate the process of collecting applications or passports from Sikh organizations, stressing that the current state of India-Pakistan relations makes such travel unsafe.
The move follows a complete breakdown in diplomatic and trade relations between India and Pakistan after the recent attack in Pahalgam. After which both countries engaged in drones and missels fire exchanges for four days in second week of May 2025. Cross-border travel through the Attari border was suspended in the aftermath, and both sides have since been locked in heightened military and diplomatic confrontation.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which usually coordinates these pilgrimages, said it has not yet received direct communication from the central government on this matter. An SGPC spokesperson noted that the letter was sent to state governments, and the organization will wait for official intimation before making a formal statement. However, he added that Sikh bodies have long demanded that the Kartarpur Corridor be reopened to allow devotees at least limited access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur.
Expressing disappointment, the SGPC representative questioned the government’s approach, remarking that if cricket matches can be held between India and Pakistan, then Sikh pilgrims should also be permitted to visit their sacred shrines across the border.
This decision is expected to cause widespread dismay among Sikh communities in India and abroad, as the annual pilgrimage to Pakistan’s historic gurdwaras on Guru Nanak’s Parkash Gurpurab has long been a deeply significant tradition.
⊕ALSO READ — Historic Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib Flooded After Release of Water in Ravi River
