'Not Sikhs': Pakistan denies Hindu pilgrims entry at Wagah border
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Pakistan has denied entry to several Hindu pilgrims, who were traveling with a Sikh jatha, for the celebration of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's birth anniversary at Nankana Sahib. The incident took place at the Attari-Wagah border when the pilgrims were stopped from boarding a bus by Pakistani officials. According to NDTV sources, the 14 pilgrims were sent back by Pakistani officials who told them, "You are Hindu... you can't go with Sikh devotees."
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We were sent back only because we were Hindus: Pilgrim
The affected Hindu pilgrims, including families from Delhi and Lucknow, "walked back humiliated," per reports. They were among the 2,100 people whom the Union Home Ministry had cleared to visit Pakistan. Pakistani authorities had also reportedly approved over 2,100 visas for Indian pilgrims. One of the turned-back pilgrims, Amer Chand, told India Today that they were sent back only because they were Hindus. He quoted a Pakistani official as saying, "What will you do in this Jatha?"
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Visit was not for pilgrimage purposes: Officials
Commenting on the matter, government sources told News18, "A group of individuals, some of whom had resided in Pakistan previously and subsequently acquired Indian citizenship, sought to travel to Pakistan to meet their acquaintances. However, they were denied entry by Pakistani immigration authorities." "It is noted that their visit was not for pilgrimage purposes but for meeting acquaintances...The decision to deny entry lies within Pakistan's sovereign rights, and India can't officially raise an objection in this regard."
Entry denial
Group of Sindhi Pakistani citizens also denied entry
The jatha was seen off at the Golden Temple complex by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members and officials. Akal Takht acting jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj was also present to accompany them on their pilgrimage journey to Pakistan. More than 2,000 Sikh pilgrims from India arrived in eastern Pakistan on Tuesday for the annual celebration of their faith's founder. It is the first people-to-people contact since the two countries' brief armed clash in May.
Historic visit
First pilgrimage since April terror attack in Pahalgam
Pakistani authorities reopened the Wagah border crossing, which had been closed for months, to facilitate the pilgrimage, government spokesperson Nasir Mushtaq revealed. "Granting visas to Sikh pilgrims....reopening the border demonstrates Pakistan's respect for religious minorities and commitment to fostering cultural ties, despite ongoing political disputes," Mushtaq said. The 1950 Nehru-Liaquat Pact permits Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan's sacred shrines on four key occasions: Baisakhi, Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom day, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and Guru Nanak's birth anniversary.