Sikh | Pakistan

LAHORE: After the conclusion of their Baisakhi visit to Pakistan on Saturday, Sikh pilgrims from India will leave today for their homeland via the Wagah Border after a week of religious and cultural events. Around 2,238 Sikh pilgrims arrived on April 10 to participate in Baisakhi festivities. Pakistan had issued around 2,800 visas to Sikh pilgrims this year, while approximately 600 pilgrims were unable to travel. At the end of their visit, a cultural night was hosted by the Punjab government at Hazuri Bagh for Indian Sikh pilgrims, besides a special ceremony at the Dayal Singh Trust Library under the World Centre for Punjabi. The Hazuri Bagh event featured colourful cultural performances, traditional music, and a lively atmosphere, wherein Sikh pilgrims enthusiastically participated. Many were seen enjoying the music and performing bhangra to the beat of drums, reflecting the spirit of joy and unity. Over 2,000 visitors arrived in Pakistan last week to join Baisakhi celebrations “The cultural night at Hazuri ...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz warmly received Sikh pilgrims arriving to take part in the vibrant festival of Baisakhi, extending heartfelt wishes to the community.

The first batch of Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan from India via the Wagah border on Friday to celebrate the Baisakhi festival. Pakistan has issued visas to 2,800 Sikh pilgrims from India for the festival, which begins on Friday and will continue till April 19. The main ceremony of the festival is scheduled for April 14 at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal. The festival of Baisakhi is an ancient tradition of the Punjab region, a harvest festival which marks the beginning of a new year. It was once celebrated in Punjabi villages, on both sides of the border, with village fairs or melas. Baisakhi is especially important in Sikhism, as on this day in 1699, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs laid the foundation of the Panth Khalsa, the body of initiated Sikhs. Sikh pilgrims fulfil legal formalities as they arrive in Pakistan from India via Wagah border on April 10, 2026. — White Star/ Arif Ali A shuttle transports Sikh pilgrims as they arrive in Pakistan from India via Wagah border on April 10, 2026. — White Star/Ar...

WASHINGTON: An Indian national has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to plotting the assassination of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Prosecutors said Nikhil Gupta, 54, admitted to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the failed plot. He entered the plea on February 13 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29. According to the Justice Department, Gupta acted at the direction of an Indian government employee identified as Vikash Yadav, who was employed by India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the country’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Yadav remains at large. Former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav who has been charged by the US for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist and Indian critic in New York City, at an unknown l...

LONDON: A demonstration outside the Bangladeshi High Commission in London on Saturday briefly turned tense when pro-Khalistan Sikh activists and a small group of Hindu protesters confronted each other, prompting police intervention. The Khalistan Movement wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947, when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries. The protest was held in connection with reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. During the gathering, Paramjeet Singh Pamma, identified by organisers as a coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum campaign, was involved in a brief scuffle with an Indian Hindu protester. Metropolitan Police officers on duty intervened quickly, separating the individuals and dispersing the groups from close proximity to the mission building. No injuries were reported. Following the incident, pro-Khalistan Sikh protesters formed a cordo...

LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced helmet exemption for Sikh community in respect of turban, an important practice of their religion. The Sikhs were finding it hard to follow the traffic regulation of wearing helmets and a Sikh man had approached Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz with a request for exemption. The CM made the announcement the other day while addressing the minority community. A clip of her speech was shared on the PML-N’s X account. “The Sikh community’s turban is their identity and their religious belief. With this respect in mind, the traffic department has, for the first time, been instructed to grant Sikh citizens an exemption from wearing helmets,” said the CM in her speech to the minority communities. She said Punjab had made minorities a crown of its head. Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2025

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced an exemption for the Sikh community from the motorcycle helmet law and approved an expansion of the Minority Card programme, increasing the number of beneficiaries from 75,000 to 100,000.

Sikh devotees on Wednesday gathered to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, in Punjab’s Nankana Sahib. On Tuesday, Pakistan had welcomed dozens of pilgrims from India in the first major crossing since deadly clashes in May closed the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab between the nuclear-armed neighbours. More than 2,100 pilgrims were granted visas to attend a 10-day festival marking the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Pakistan’s High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said last week. Sikh devotees gather around a bus carrying the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, during a religious procession on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, in Nankana Sahib, in Punjab. — AFP Sikh devotees gather around a bus carrying the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, during a religious procession on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, in Nankana Sahib, in Punjab. — AFP Sikh pilgrims pay respect...

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari extended his sincere greetings to the Sikh community in Pakistan and across the world on the 556th birth anniversary (Gurpurab) of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed dozens of Sikh pilgrims from India, AFP journalists saw, in the first major crossing since deadly clashes in May closed the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab between the nuclear-armed neighbours. More than 2,100 pilgrims were granted visas to attend a 10-day festival marking the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, Pakistan’s High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said last week. Indian Sikh pilgrims gesture upon their arrival in Pakistan after crossing the India-Pakistan Wagah border in Wagah on November 4, 2025, on the eve of celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism. — AFP/ Narinder Nanu Tensions remain high between Islamabad and New Delhi after the worst fighting since 1999 took place in May. The Wagah-Attari border — the only active land crossing between the two countries — was closed to general traffic following the conflict. Pilgrims queued up on the Indian side of the border on Tuesday morning, some carrying their...

India has refused to grant permission to Sikh pilgrims wishing to visit Pakistan for the 486th death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.

An international Sikh organization, MARR, has lodged a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging an investigation into an alleged drone attack targeting the sacred site of Nankana Sahib.

TAXILA: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, criticised the Indian government’s refusal to issue visas to Sikh pilgrims intending to perform religious rites in connection with two religious events next month in Pakistan. He was addressing a press conference at Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hassanabdal on Friday. Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board Dr Muhammad Sajid Chau­han, Additional Secretary Shrines Saifullah Khokhar, Rawalpindi Zone Administrator Tanveer Hus­sain, Deputy Administrator Yasir Asghar Monga, and other leaders of the Sikh community were also present on this occasion. He strongly condemned the Indian government’s move to not allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to offer religious rituals in June on the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The minister stated that the Modi-led government is rattled by Pakistan’s diplomatic success and is now resorting to religious restrictions in clear violation of...