'You are Hindus': Pakistan denies entry to 14 Indian pilgrims

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Fourteen Indian citizens who travelled to Pakistan as part of a large group of pilgrims for Guru Nanak’s 556th birth anniversary celebrations were denied entry and turned back after officials reportedly refused to accept them, allegedly saying that "they were Hindu, not Sikh".

The pilgrims — Pakistani-origin Sindhi Hindus who later acquired Indian citizenship — had joined around 2,100 devotees cleared by India’s Home Ministry to visit Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak. Pakistan had issued travel documents for roughly the same number of people.

On Tuesday, approximately 1,900 pilgrims crossed the Wagah border, the first civilian movement between the two nations since Operation Sindoor, India’s military action in May following the Pahalgam terror attack. However, it is now confirmed that 14 people were forced to return.

According to a report by NDTV, Pakistani authorities told them, “You are Hindu… you can’t go with Sikh devotees”.

The group, which reportedly included pilgrims from Delhi and Lucknow, walked back “humiliated”, the report said.

In addition, nearly 300 others who had independently applied for visas were stopped on the Indian side due to a lack of mandatory approval from the Home Ministry.

Senior Sikh leaders, including Akal Takht representative Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, SGPC delegate Bibi Gurinder Kaur, and DSGMC’s Ravinder Singh Sweeta, were among those who entered Pakistan.

The main Gurpurab ceremony is being held at Gurdwara Janamasthan, about 80 km from Lahore. During their 10-day pilgrimage, Indian Sikh devotees are scheduled to visit historic shrines including Gurdwara Panja Sahib (Hasan Abdal), Gurdwara Sacha Sauda (Farooqabad) and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Kartarpur).

The episode has unfolded amid persistent strain between New Delhi and Islamabad after the Pahalgam massacre in April, which killed 26, mostly civilians.

India has not yet issued an official condemnation of the incident involving the Hindu pilgrims, but the development is likely to add to diplomatic friction during an already tense period.

--IANS

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