Over 2,200 Sikh pilgrims return to India after celebrating Baisakhi in Pak

Border Security Force personnel stationed at the Zero Line welcomed the group and guided the pilgrims towards India

After celebrating the Khalsa Foundation Day (Baisakhi) in Pakistan, over 2,200 Sikh pilgrims returned to India via the international Attari-Wagah border on Sunday.

As many as 2,238 Sikh pilgrims from India had crossed over to Pakistan on April 10 for the 10-day Baisakhi pilgrimage. (HT)

Border Security Force personnel stationed at the Zero Line welcomed the group and guided the pilgrims towards India.

At the Integrated Check Post (ICP) Attari, a large number of immigration and customs officials were deployed to ensure quick clearance of the returnees. After completing the necessary immigration and customs formalities, the pilgrims were sent onward to their respective destinations.

As many as 2,238 Sikh pilgrims from India had crossed over to Pakistan on April 10 for the 10-day pilgrimage. This was only the second Sikh jatha to visit Pakistan since Operation Sindoor in May 2025 and the largest so far amid the curbs imposed by India on cross-border travel.

Before this, 1,932 pilgrims had travelled to Pakistan in November 2025 for the birth anniversary of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak.

The Pakistan High Commission had granted over 2,800 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the Baisakhi pilgrimage.

The returning devotees shared that a large number of pilgrims from across the world gathered in Pakistan to celebrate the main event on April 14 at Gurdwara Panja Sahib at Hasan Abdal, some 400 km from Lahore.

The Indian pilgrims also performed religious rites at other Sikh shrines, including Gurdwara Nankana Sahib (the birthplace of Guru Nanak), Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib (the final resting place of Guru Nanak), Gurdwara Sacha Sauda Sahib in Farooqabad, Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore and Gurdwara Rori Sahib in Eminabad.

A traditional kabaddi tournament was organised for the visitors at Kartarpur Sahib.

In Lahore, the pilgrims visited various historical and cultural landmarks, including the Lahore Fort, and toured the Walled City, the Mall and Liberty Chowk. They also explored prominent city markets, such as Anarkali Bazaar and Shah Alam Market.

At the end of their visit, the Punjab government hosted a cultural night at the historic Hazuri Bagh outside the Lahore Fort, and a special ceremony was held at the Dayal Singh Trust Library under the World Centre for Punjabi on Saturday. The pilgrims enjoyed the music and performed bhangra to the beat of drums, reflecting the spirit of joy and unity.

The Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950 allows Sikh pilgrims to visit gurdwaras in Pakistan on four religious occasions — the foundation day of Khalsa Panth (Baisakhi), martyrdom anniversary of the fifth Sikh master, Guru Arjan, the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak.

But after the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, the Union government barred Indian citizens from travelling to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border checkpost. In response, Pakistan suspended the Saarc Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.

Days before the Pahalgam attack, 5,800 Indian Sikh pilgrims had visited Pakistan gurdwaras on Baisakhi. This was the largest number of Sikh pilgrims to have visited Pakistan so far.

(With agency inputs)