A group of Pakistani Sikh pilgrims bound for Sri Hemkund Sahib in India was stopped at Faisalabad International Airport on Friday, in another setback for devotees hoping to undertake the pilgrimage. The pilgrims were prevented from boarding their scheduled flight after immigration officials asked them to produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which the group said they had never been told was required.
Jatha leader Papinder Singh said the group was scheduled to fly from Faisalabad to Sharjah at 2.10 am before continuing to Delhi. However, airport immigration officials stopped the pilgrims and sought an NOC before allowing them to leave the country.
Singh alleged that earlier, Punjab’s Sikh minority minister and president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), Ramesh Arora, and Evacuee Trust Property Board deputy secretary Nasir Mushtaq had met the pilgrims at Nankana Sahib. According to Singh, they urged the group not to travel to India by air and instead assured them that arrangements would be made for them to travel by road through the Attari-Wagah border.
“The issue of the NOC was never raised with us before. When immigration officials asked for it, we approached Arora and requested that he provide the document, but he expressed his helplessness,” Singh said.
The pilgrims hold Indian visas covering Delhi, Amritsar, Sri Anandpur Sahib and Sri Hemkund Sahib. They were waiting at Faisalabad airport for permission from the Pakistani authorities to proceed to India.
“We have already missed our Faisalabad-Sharjah flight and will also miss our onward flight from Sharjah to Delhi. Had we been allowed to travel as scheduled, we would have reached Delhi by Friday evening,” Singh said.
Pilgrims Face Costly Detour
The latest incident comes amid continuing difficulties for Pakistani Sikh pilgrims following the closure of the Attari-Wagah land border.
According to Singh, India had issued 92 visas to Sikh devotees intending to visit Sri Hemkund Sahib. With the land route closed, the pilgrims were compelled to make expensive alternative travel arrangements by air.
The group had reportedly spent nearly Pak Rs 2 crore on preparations for the pilgrimage, including travel and other arrangements. Being stopped at the airport has left the devotees deeply disappointed, Singh said, adding that many were praying to Waheguru while waiting for the situation to be resolved.
The jatha leader appealed to the Pakistani government to grant the pilgrims special permission to travel to India through the Attari-Wagah land route. He argued that allowing them to use the border crossing would enable them to continue their pilgrimage without further delays and additional financial losses.
“We are sitting at the airport, waiting for the Pakistan government to resolve the issue and allow us to proceed to India via the land route,” Singh said.
For the pilgrims, the immediate concern is not only the missed flights and mounting expenses, but also the possibility of missing their long-awaited visit to the sacred Himalayan shrine.
