Sikh pilgrims in India have voiced anger after the government stopped them from travelling to Pakistan for religious events, according to Indian media reports.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a formal advisory restricting travel, citing ongoing tensions and security concerns between the two neighbours. The decision came just weeks before the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, a key occasion for Sikh devotees.
Opposition parties and Sikh leaders in Punjab strongly criticised the move. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the central government had no authority to obstruct religious freedoms. He argued that if cricket matches between Pakistan and India were possible, then there was no justification for stopping Sikh pilgrims.
Former Lok Sabha member Sukhbir Singh Badal called on Home Minister Amit Shah to reverse the decision. He warned that blocking access to Kartarpur would hurt religious sentiments, urging the government to allow travel under the 1974 protocol on religious visits.
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Every year, thousands of Sikh pilgrims travel to Pakistan to observe Baisakhi and other religious events. Earlier this year, the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi issued more than 6,500 visas to Sikh pilgrims for Baisakhi celebrations, enabling visits to revered shrines like Gurdwara Panja Sahib and Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of heightened hostility between India and Pakistan. Relations sharply deteriorated after an April gun attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad strongly rejected the allegations.