๐ฉ Why It Is Right to Bar Sikh Pilgrim Jathas to Pakistan
The Centreโs decision to deny permission for Sikh jathas to visit Pakistan for Guru Nanakโs birth anniversary has stirred political controversy. Yet a sober look at history and security realities shows this bar is neither unprecedented nor discriminatory. It is a measure of prudence, part of a long continuum in which the state has had to balance religious sentiment against national security.
A History of Disruptions
Sikh pilgrimages to Pakistan have been interrupted repeatedly since Partition.
In 1947, when the subcontinent was torn apart by violence, many historic gurdwaras were left on the Pakistani side of the border. For decades thereafter, access was almost impossible: commcunities uprooted, bridges destroyed, and borders militarised. The yearning for Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur had to remain confined to prayer.
Subsequent decades brought their own disruptions:
โข Post-1965 War:ย ย After the destruction of crossings like the Jassar bridge, pilgrim travel was virtually closed.
โข June 2019:ย ย ย Nearly 150 pilgrims were stopped at Attari when India withheld clearance for a jatha, citing security concerns.
โข March 2020โNov 2021:ย ย ย ย The Kartarpur Corridor, opened with fanfare in 2019, was shut for 20 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
โข May 2025:ย ย ย ย In the wake of Operation Sindoor, the corridor was abruptly closed; 150 pilgrims were turned back the same day.
โข June 2025: India refused permission for a jatha to Lahore for Guru Arjan Dev Jiโs death anniversary.
The pattern is clear
Whenever national security has been at stake, pilgrimages have been suspended, regardless of the depth of religious sentiment.
Pakistanโs Double Game
Pakistanโs posture as the custodian of Sikh shrines is a veneer. Its treatment of its own minorities has been abysmal, and visiting jathas have repeatedly been exposed to Khalistani propaganda on Pakistani soil. Pilgrimages have thus become convenient platforms for Islamabad to needle India.
Todayโs Imperative
The present bar follows the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, a period of heightened cross-border militancy. Sending large groups of civilians into Pakistan under such conditions would be reckless. To equate this with cricket matches is misleading: athletes travel under exceptional protection, often at neutral venues, while pilgrim groups are dispersed and vulnerable.
Conclusion
The Sikh community has stood shoulder to shoulder with the Indian state in every crisis. It knows that the duty of the state is to protect life first. Partition itself disrupted pilgrimages; wars and terror have done the same since. Todayโs restriction is not an affront to faith but a reaffirmation of responsibility. The shrines remain sacred, but the safety of citizens and the sovereignty of the nation must remain supreme.
Newsline Express
