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Pakistan Reopens Border for Sikh Pilgrims, Disputes Claims Hindu Devotees Were Barred

Pakistan frames the returns as routine paperwork checks not religious exclusion.

Overview

  • Roughly 1,900 to 2,100 Indian Sikhs crossed at Wagah for 10 days of Guru Nanak’s 556th birth anniversary events in the first major movement since the May clashes.
  • Pakistan’s High Commission said it issued more than 2,100 visas for the visit, with some reports putting approvals at over 2,400.
  • Indian accounts said 12 to 14 Hindu pilgrims in the jatha were turned back after being told they could not travel with Sikh devotees.
  • Pakistan’s Foreign Office denied religious discrimination, saying only a very small number lacked complete documentation and noting India stopped about 300 visa-holders without required Home Ministry clearance.
  • Officials in Pakistan highlighted security and medical arrangements for the pilgrims, and the Kartarpur Corridor remains closed since the May conflict.