Pakistan issues 2,800 visas to Indians for Baisakhi pilgrimage

This is the first Baisakhi pilgrimage which will be held post the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025 and Operation Sindoor in May.

PAKISTAN HAS issued around 2,800 visas to Indian nationals for the annual Baisakhi pilgrimage this year, which starts on April 10. Last year, around 6,500 Indians got to visit various gurdwaras in Pakistan for the 10-day pilgrimage.

This is the first Baisakhi pilgrimage which will be held post the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025 and Operation Sindoor in May.

In a statement posted on X, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday said, “On the occasion of Baisakhi festival, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to more than 2,800 pilgrims from India, so that they can participate in the annual festival to be held in Pakistan from April 10 to 19, 2026.”

The pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Every year, a large number of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan for various religious festivals or occasions under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.

Last year saw the largest-ever delegation of India pilgrims going to Pakistan for Baisakhi festival.

In 2024, around 2,843 visas were issued for Indian nationals for the Baisakhi pilgrimage in April, while 962 Indians additionally got to visit Pakistan on the eve of martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev from June 8-17.

In November last year, Pakistan had issued over 2,100 visas to Indians to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, which was held between November 4 and 13.

At the time, there were reports about Pakistan denying entry to over 140 Indian Hindu pilgrims at the Wagah border, despite having valid visas and prior clearances, citing they were not Sikhs.

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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PAKISTAN HAS issued around 2,800 visas to Indian nationals for the annual Baisakhi pilgrimage this year, which starts on April 10. Last year, around 6,500 Indians got to visit various gurdwaras in Pakistan for the 10-day pilgrimage.

This is the first Baisakhi pilgrimage which will be held post the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025 and Operation Sindoor in May.

In a statement posted on X, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday said, “On the occasion of Baisakhi festival, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to more than 2,800 pilgrims from India, so that they can participate in the annual festival to be held in Pakistan from April 10 to 19, 2026.”

The pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Every year, a large number of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan for various religious festivals or occasions under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.

Last year saw the largest-ever delegation of India pilgrims going to Pakistan for Baisakhi festival.

In 2024, around 2,843 visas were issued for Indian nationals for the Baisakhi pilgrimage in April, while 962 Indians additionally got to visit Pakistan on the eve of martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev from June 8-17.

In November last year, Pakistan had issued over 2,100 visas to Indians to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, which was held between November 4 and 13.

At the time, there were reports about Pakistan denying entry to over 140 Indian Hindu pilgrims at the Wagah border, despite having valid visas and prior clearances, citing they were not Sikhs.