Pakistani Sikh Pilgrims Halted at Faisalabad Airport During India-Bound Journey
Bharatmorning.com – A group of 104 Pakistani Sikh pilgrims with valid Indian visas was prevented from boarding a Dubai-bound flight at Faisalabad International Airport while attempting to travel onward to India for a religious pilgrimage.
The delegation had planned to visit historic Sikh sites in India, including Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib in Uttarakhand. Faisalabad is roughly 150 kilometres from Lahore, and the travellers had chosen an indirect air route through Dubai because direct connections between Pakistan and India are currently unavailable.
Air, rail and road links between the two countries remain suspended following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in 2025. With the Wagah-Attari land crossing unavailable for their planned journey, the pilgrims had arranged a substantially costlier trip through a third country.
Return Ticket and NOC Cited as Requirements
Immigration authorities stopped the pilgrims before they could board the Gulf-bound airline. An official from the Federal Investigation Agency said the passengers had not presented return tickets or a no-objection certificate from Pakistan’s federal government.
“The immigration officials told them to produce an NOC from the federal government and the return ticket, after which they would be allowed to proceed to their destination,” the official said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity. The requirement left the group stranded at the airport despite their Indian entry visas and preparations for the pilgrimage.
A separate federal government official said the travellers had independently obtained their visas for India. He suggested that they should have coordinated their travel plans through the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee and used the Wagah border route for entry into India. He also indicated that permission to undertake the pilgrimage through Wagah could still be considered.
Video Highlights Pilgrims’ Frustration
Footage circulating online showed Sikh families waiting at Faisalabad airport after the interruption. In the video, one pilgrim appealed for intervention, saying the group had been left waiting for several hours.
“For the last four hours we are languishing at the Faisalabad airport…someone should take notice of this and help the pilgrims proceed to their destination,” he said.
Another young Sikh traveller questioned why an NOC was being sought, arguing that the group was not involved in wrongdoing. He said that he himself was employed by the Pakistani government.
The episode has drawn attention to the practical difficulties faced by pilgrims when travel arrangements between India and Pakistan are restricted. Religious visits often require extensive planning involving visas, transport, accommodation and coordination with gurdwara authorities. A disruption at the departure point can therefore affect families who have spent months preparing for a journey.
SGPC Calls for Immediate Intervention
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee condemned the decision to stop the delegation. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the pilgrims had obtained official Indian visas specifically to visit major Sikh shrines across the country.
“The pilgrims were travelling to visit historic Sikh shrines across India after securing official entry visas from the Indian government. The last-minute disruption is highly unfortunate and deeply damaging to religious sentiments,” Dhami said.
He said new clearance demands at the airport had caused significant hardship for people who had long been preparing for their spiritual visit. Dhami called on Pakistan’s government to intervene quickly and allow the delegation to continue its journey.
If air travel through a third country cannot be completed, he proposed the Attari-Wagah crossing as a practical alternative. The border route has historically been important for cross-border religious travel, particularly for Sikh pilgrims visiting sacred sites on either side of the frontier.
Dhami also appealed to New Delhi and Islamabad to take a humane and flexible approach to religious travel. He said administrative procedures and diplomatic tensions should not obstruct worshippers seeking access to holy places.
Political Leaders Seek Clearer Travel Guidance
Concern was also raised by Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) general secretary Gurpartap Singh Wadala and the party’s youth wing head, Gurjit Singh Talwandi. In a joint statement, they questioned why the pilgrims were allegedly denied boarding even though they held valid visas for India.
The leaders said travellers should have been informed before reaching the airport if a federal no-objection certificate was compulsory. They urged the relevant authorities to explain the requirement clearly and ensure that religious visitors do not face preventable difficulty at the last stage of their journey.
The case underlines how visa approval alone may not settle every travel-related formality when cross-border routes are restricted. For pilgrims, clarity over return arrangements, government permissions and approved crossings can be as important as the entry visa itself. Until a final decision is made, the group’s planned visit to Sikh religious sites in India remains uncertain.
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