NEW DELHI, Nov 4: Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed dozens of Sikh pilgrims from India in the first major crossing since the land border between the two countries was closed following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent “Operation Sindoor.”
Tension remained high between Islamabad and New Delhi after the worst fighting since 1999 took place in May, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery exchanges. The Wagah-Attari border — the only active land crossing between the two countries — was closed to general traffic following the violence.
The Pakistani high commission in New Delhi last week had granted visas to more than 2,100 Sikh pilgrims to attend a the 10-day festivals on the occasion of 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Pilgrims queued up on the Indian side of the border on Tuesday morning, some carrying their luggage on their heads, as the Border Security Force looked on.
They were received by Pakistani officials who presented them with flowers and showered them with rose petals. Media reported around 1,700 were due to cross into Pakistan, although there was no immediate official confirmation from the authorities.
The pilgrims will gather on Wednesday at Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak’s birthplace about 80 kms west of Lahore by road, and later visit other sacred sites in Pakistan, including Kartarpur, where the guru is buried. Pakistan’s High Commission had said last week its decision was consistent with efforts to promote “inter-religious and inter-cultural harmony and understanding.”
Newspapers reported Saturday that the government would allow “selected” groups to travel to Pakistan. The Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free route that opened in 2019 that allows Sikhs to visit the temple without crossing the main border, remains closed since the conflict.
(Manas Dasgupta)