ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has issued more than 2,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend celebrations marking the 556th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi said on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires Saad Ahmad Warraich welcomed the pilgrims and wished them a spiritually rewarding visit. He noted that the government remains committed to facilitating access to religious sites as part of its efforts to promote interfaith harmony.
Guru Nanak, born on April 15, 1469, in present-day Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, was the founder of Sikhism and is revered for his message of equality and peace.
The commemorative events will take place across Pakistan from November 4 to 13, 2025. Pilgrims will visit major religious landmarks, including Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Panja Sahib, and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
The visas were issued under the Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, an agreement that enables citizens of both Pakistan and India to visit designated sacred sites across the border.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which once allowed visa-free travel for Sikh pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, where Guru Nanak spent his final years, remains closed on the Indian side. It has been suspended since May 2025 following a brief military clash, with India citing security concerns. Pakistan, however, has kept its side open, calling the move a gesture of goodwill.
Indian Sikh leaders and Punjab lawmakers have repeatedly urged the reopening of the corridor, calling the closure a restriction on religious access. While Pakistan says it is prepared to host pilgrims, reduced permits and travel permissions from India have tempered expectations for attendance this year.
