MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal / Courtesy: YouTube/Ministry of External Affairs

A high-level delegation of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) - a legal and democratic administrative body that manages historical gurdwaras—on Aug. 18 met with the Pakistani High Commission's Charge d'Affairs Ahmed Waraich in New Delhi demanding that the Pakistani mission should increase the number of visas that it grants to Sikh devotees for the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev's 'parkash gurupurav' (birth anniversayr) celebrations at Nankana Sahib in November this year.

While over 7500 Sikh devotees have submitted their passports for the upcoming pilgrimage, the SGPC urged the Pakistani High Commission to increase their quota and include the maximum number of pilgrims for the celebrations at Nankana Sahib in November.

Led by its president Harjinder Singh Dhami, the SGPC delegation met Ahmed Waraich, the Pakistani High Commission's Charge d'Affairs in New Delhi and submitted a written representation seeking visas to maximum eligible pilgrims.

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Sharing information about his visit while talking to reporters outside the High Commission, Dhami said that the SGPC had received over 7500 passports from devotees seeking to travel to Pakistan for the festivities marking the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru.

“Every Sikh has a desire to participate in the celebrations to be held at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib,” Dhami said, urging the Pakistan High Commission to issue visas generously in view of the religious sentiments attached to the pilgrimage.

Dhami stated that the Pakistani High Commission usually granted visas to around 1800 pilgrims sent by SGPC.

He said that his delegation had submitted a formal representation urging the High Commission to grant visas to over 7500 Sikh devotees who submitted passports for the upcoming pilgrimage to Pakistan.
Dhami noted that the surge in passport submissions was linked in part to the closure of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and the non-availability for some time, of visas to privately organized Sikh groups factors which he said had further increased the desire among devotees to visit the historic gurudwaras in Pakistan.

He further said that the increase was partly due to constraints on private group travel and past limits on traditional jathas.

The delegation that consisted of Dhami alongside regional leaders including Paramjit Singh Sarna and Manjit Singh GK, sought visas beyond the standard bilateral quota for the birth anniversary celebrations of the first Sikh Guru Shri Nanak Dev at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib in Pakistan in November.

Stating that the pilgrimage was undertaken for religious reasons to pay obeisance at historic gurdwaras and participate in celebrations associated with Guru Nanak Dev, Dhami urged Pakistan to view the visa request in that context.

The demand for facilitating the pilgrimage comes even as the services of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor remain suspended and in the backdrop of the government receiving representations from Sikh religious organisations seeking its reopening.

Dhami and his delegation called for the government of India's intervention to help facilitate travel visas for maximum devotees even as he reiterated their demand that the Kartarpur corridor be reopened in view of the sentiments of the Sikh community.   

Despite the corridor’s suspension, Sikh jathas have been travelling to Pakistan for important religious occasions under the 1974 India-Pakistan Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines.

However, the government of India on Aug. 18 made it clear that the corridor will remain suspended as of now.

Reiterating the government of India's stand, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that given the extant security situation in Pakistan, the corridor's services will continue to remain suspended.

Answering a question from New India Abroad, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that he has seen some reports about the meeting between the SGPC delegation and the Pakistani High Commission officials.

"Every year, as you know, there is a bilateral arrangement between the two countries under which our Sikh jatthas visit pilgrimage sites in Pakistan. On the Kartarpur corridor, we had recently addressed a question in the Parliament as well. As you are aware, the services of Shri Kartarpur Sahib corridor were suspended with effect from May 7, 2025. Given the extant security situation which continues to be the case, the Kartarpur Sahib corridor's services continue to remain suspended," he said.