5 min readChandigarhJun 11, 2026 07:21 PM IST
First published on: Jun 11, 2026 at 07:21 PM IST
A 94-member Sikh pilgrim group from Haryana was forced to return from the Attari-Wagah border late on Wednesday after failing to receive the required government clearance despite holding valid visas for Pakistan.
Officials of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) remained camped in Chandigarh throughout the day, pursuing the necessary approvals from the Haryana Home Department. While the state government eventually forwarded the case to the Centre, the final clearance had not arrived by 10 pm, leaving the pilgrims with no option but to abandon their journey and return home, HSGMC sources said.
Sources said the formalities, including security verification, had to be completed within a very limited timeframe. The file seeking final approval was reportedly forwarded to the Centre only on June 10, the day the pilgrims were scheduled to cross into Pakistan. In contrast, pilgrims from Punjab who had obtained the required clearances were allowed to proceed with their pilgrimage.
HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda said a notification regarding the Pakistan pilgrimage was issued on June 1, but the committee received a copy only on June 3.
“A notification for the Pakistan pilgrimage was issued on June 1. However, the HSGMC received a copy only on June 3. Meanwhile, June 7 and 8 were official holidays. We got very little time to complete the documentation process,” he said.
Despite the short notice, the pilgrims submitted their passports, fees and other required documents for the visit, which was aimed at observing the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev.
According to Jhinda, the group left Kurukshetra on June 9 and reached the Attari border on June 10. He said he contacted the Haryana Director General of Police and deputed a team of HSGMC officials to Chandigarh to expedite the security clearance process and ensure that the file was forwarded to the Central Government without delay.
“On June 10, the Haryana Government finally forwarded the file to the Central Government. However, the necessary approval could still not be obtained. After waiting at the Attari-Wagah border till 10 pm on Wednesday, the group finally decided to return to Kurukshetra,” Jhinda said.
He added that the HSGMC now plans to send a Sikh jatha to Pakistan later this month to participate in events marking the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire.
Meanwhile, a group of 541 pilgrims from Punjab, travelling under the aegis of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), crossed into Pakistan on Wednesday to pay obeisance at historic Sikh shrines on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev.
Gurinder Singh Mathrewal, secretary of the SGPC’s Dharam Prachar Committee, said the SGPC had submitted the passports of 561 applicants to the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. Of these, visas were granted to 541 pilgrims, while 20 applicants did not receive visas.
He said the jatha would participate in martyrdom anniversary events scheduled for June 18. During the visit, the pilgrims will pay obeisance at various historic Sikh shrines and take part in commemorative religious programmes before returning to India on June 19.
The pilgrimage is significant as it marks the first visit in 13 years by a Sikh jatha from India to Pakistan to observe the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev.
Welcoming the development, the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, said that under the 1974 protocol between India and Pakistan, four Sikh jathas travel annually to Pakistan to visit Sikh shrines. However, the last jatha to travel specifically for the martyrdom anniversary of the fifth Sikh Guru had visited Pakistan in June 2013.
Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj said that since Guru Arjan Dev attained martyrdom in Lahore, it is important for the Khalsa Panth to gather there every year on the Guru’s martyrdom anniversary and pay homage through Gurmat programmes and religious congregations.
The Jathedar recalled that during his visit to Pakistan in November 2025 on the occasion of the Prakash Gurpurb of Guru Nanak Dev, he had discussed the resumption of the pilgrimage with the president and representatives of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, who responded positively to the proposal.
He also urged the governments of India and Pakistan to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur so that Sikh devotees can once again visit the shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev.
Haryana Sikh pilgrims at the time of commencement of their visit from Kurukshetra on Tuesday. (Photo special arrangement) 
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