Every year, a large number of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals or occasions under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974. (Image generated using Google Gemini)
Pakistan has issued around 2,800 visas to Indian nationals for the annual Baisakhi pilgrimage this year, which starts on April 10. Last year, around 6,500 Indians got to visit various gurudwaras in Pakistan for the 10-day pilgrimage, which is held every year.
In a statement on Tuesday post on their X account, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said, “On the occasion of Baisakhi festival, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to more than 2,800 pilgrims from India, so that they can participate in the annual festival to be held in Pakistan from April 10 to 19, 2026.”
बैसाखी उत्सव के अवसर पर, नई दिल्ली स्थित पाकिस्तान उच्चायोग ने भारत से 2800 से अधिक तीर्थयात्रियों को वीज़ा जारी किए हैं, ताकि वे 10 से 19 अप्रैल 2026 तक पाकिस्तान में आयोजित होने वाले वार्षिक उत्सव में भाग ले सकें।
— Pakistan High Commission India (@PakinIndia) April 7, 2026
The pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
Every year, a large number of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals or occasions under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974. In 2025, the Pakistan High Commission issued more than 6,500 visas to Indian pilgrims to participate in the annual festival held from April 10-19.
In fact, the group for 2025 was reported as the largest ever delegation of India pilgrims going to Pakistan for the festival. Earlier in 2024 also, around 2,843 visas were issued for Indian nationals for the Baisakhi pilgrimage in April, while 962 Indians additionally got to visit Pakistan on the eve of martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev from June 8-17.
In November last year, Pakistan had issued over 2,100 visas to Indians to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, which was held between November 4 and 13.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More