The Indian government has decided not to indulge Sikh jathas to travel to Pakistan for Guru Nanak’s lineage anniversary, a move that has sparked political debate. Officials say the visualization is based on security concerns and follows a long pattern where religious visits have been restricted during times of risk. The government maintains the step is not new or unfair but a shielding measure to protect citizens while respecting religious sentiments.
Disrupted Journeys in the Past
Sikh visits to shrines in Pakistan have often been stopped since Partition. In 1947, when violence tore the region apart, many important gurdwaras stayed on the Pakistani side. For many years, entry was scrutinizingly impossible: families were displaced, bridges destroyed, and the verge became a nonflexible line. The longing for Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur remained only in prayer.
Later decades brought increasingly breaks in travel:
After the 1965 war, crossings like the Jassar underpass were lost, and pilgrim travel nearly ended.
In June 2019, well-nigh 150 pilgrims were held at Attari when India obstructed a jatha considering of safety worries.
From March 2020 to November 2021, the Kartarpur Corridor, opened in 2019, stayed shut for 20 months due to COVID-19. In May 2025, without Operation Sindoor, the corridor sealed suddenly and 150 pilgrims were sent when the same day. In June 2025, India moreover refused a jatha to Lahore for Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s death anniversary. The record is clear: whenever national safety is at risk, pilgrimages are paused, whatever the depth of faith.
Pakistan’s Role and Propaganda
Pakistan shows itself as a guardian of Sikh shrines, but this is only an image. Its treatment of its own minorities is poor, and visiting jathas have often faced Khalistani propaganda on Pakistani soil. These pilgrimages have wilt easy chances for Islamabad to trouble India.
Current Security Situation
The latest restriction comes without the Pahalgam terror wade and Operation Sindoor, when cross-border violence rose. Sending big groups of civilians into Pakistan now would be unsafe. Comparing this with cricket is wrong: players travel with heavy protection, sometimes at neutral places, but pilgrim groups are scattered and exposed.
Faith and Safety Together
The Sikh polity has unchangingly stood with the Indian state in nonflexible times. It understands the state’s first duty is to protect lives. Partition itself tapped pilgrimages; wars and terror have washed-up the same without that. Today’s step is not versus faith but a sign of care. The shrines remain holy, but the safety of people and the country’s sovereignty must come first.
