Three days of celebrations marking the 556th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak have begun in Nankana Sahib, with Sikh pilgrims from around the world taking part in the religious rituals.
The pilgrims will commemorate the birth anniversary in rituals performed at the Gurdwara from November 3 to 5.
More than two thousand pilgrims from India are expected to arrive tomorrow (Tuesday) through the Wagah Border to join the events.
The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said it had issued “over 2,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India”, the first major allowance after travel between the arch-rival nations was frozen during conflict in May.
There was no immediate response from New Delhi, but Indian newspapers reported on Saturday that the government would allow “selected” groups to travel for a 10-day festival to celebrate the founder of the Sikh faith.
Authorities have put in place foolproof security arrangements for the visitors. The district administration has also set up facilitation centres, banks, hospitals, and money exchange counters for their convenience.
Around thirty thousand Sikh pilgrims from Pakistan and abroad are expected to attend the main ceremony.
Thousands of Sikh pilgrims come to Pakistan every year to commemorate Guru Nanak’s death and birth anniversaries, Baisakhi and other religious holidays.
These visits are facilitated under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, aimed at fostering religious harmony and cross-border understanding.
It may be noted that India barred its Sikh citizens from travelling to Pakistan for Guru Nanak’s 486th death anniversary, held in September at Gurudwara Darbar Sahib.
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs denied permission for crossing the border to the Sikh citizens, citing prevailing tensions and security concerns between New Delhi and Islamabad in the wake of the conflict in May 2025.
Relations between the two nuclear-armed nations have plunged to their lowest point in years following the deadly gun attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where 26 tourists, including one Nepali national, were shot dead in Pahalgam’s scenic Baisaran Valley.
India blamed Pakistan for the attack — allegations that Islamabad denies. Following that, India launched an attack on Pakistan, branded as “Operation Sindoor”, but met with a befitting response.
The Pakistani armed forces not only shot down Indian drones that came into Pakistani territory, destroyed their check posts on the border, but also shot down their fighter jets, including the French-made Rafale.
The conflict ended after United States President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between the arch-rival nations.
