In a significant development marking the first major people-to-people exchange since Operation Sindoor, a group of 2,100 Indian Sikh pilgrims crossed into Pakistan through the Attari–Wagah border on Tuesday. The pilgrims are participating in a 10-day celebration to commemorate the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.
The Pakistani government granted visas to 2,150 devotees for the religious yatra. The pilgrims will visit revered shrines including Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hasan Abdal, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda Farooqabad, and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, before returning to India on November 13.
Officials from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), and Punjab Minorities Department formally welcomed the pilgrims at the border.
ETPB spokesperson Ghulam Mohyuddin confirmed that the group arrived in Lahore and proceeded to Nankana Sahib by special buses after completing immigration and customs formalities.
The Union Government of India has restricted participation to Indian citizens, excluding NRIs from the yatra this year. Palwinder Singh, in charge of the Yatra Vibhag of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), said the reason behind this exclusion was not clear.
Earlier, India had withheld permission for the pilgrimage citing security concerns post-Operation Sindoor, but later allowed a symbolic Jatha following appeals from Sikh organisations.
Delegations led by Gurinder Kaur (SGPC) and Ravinder Singh Sweeta (Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee) are among those part of the Jatha now in Pakistan.
