Sikh Jatha Stopped at Faisalabad as Hindu Pilgrims Depart Karachi for India

LAHORE | Nazrana Times Ali Imran Chattha
Two groups of Pakistani Hindu pilgrims travelled from Karachi to India this week, while a 92-member Sikh jatha remained stranded at Faisalabad airport. The contrasting outcomes have prompted questions and allegations of unequal treatment in Pakistan’s handling of minority religious travel.
A group of 84 Hindu pilgrims departed Karachi on September 15 aboard an Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi, from where they were due to continue to Delhi. A second group of 118 pilgrims followed a day later on flight EY293, which departed Karachi for Abu Dhabi at around 12:05 pm on September 16.
According to the organisers, both groups are travelling to Shri Anandpur Ashram in Ashoknagar, Madhya Pradesh.
Their departure contrasts with the experience of the Sikh pilgrims, who were stopped at Faisalabad on September 11. The group, which held Indian visas for a pilgrimage to Sri Hemkund Sahib, was prevented from travelling over disputed documentation issues, including missing return tickets and required clearances, officials said.

‘Hidden Hand’, Says PTI Leader
Sardar Mahinder Pal Singh, a former Punjab parliamentary secretary for minority affairs and a PTI leader, has called for government intervention. In a video message, he accused an unnamed “hidden hand” of obstructing the pilgrims and warned that he would identify those responsible if the impasse continued.
Speaking to Nazrana Times, Singh pointed to what he described as a clear disparity between the two groups’ experiences. He said the Hindu pilgrims had travelled with full cooperation from the government and temple management, and questioned why Sikh pilgrims had not received similar facilitation.
He urged authorities to allow the jatha to proceed before the episode further strained inter-community relations. Singh also said the Hindu jatha would return to Pakistan through the Wagah-Attari border.

Arora Rejects Discrimination Allegations, Cites Paperwork
Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) President Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, who also serves as Punjab’s Minister for Minority Affairs and Human Rights, rejected allegations of discrimination.
Arora said the Sikh pilgrims were stopped because they lacked mandatory return tickets and other required travel documents, and not because of any decision by the PSGPC.
He said Pakistan had a consistent record of facilitating Sikh pilgrim travel and expressed regret that this particular journey could not proceed. He added that Federal Investigation Agency and immigration officials had issued clear instructions to travellers, and that compliance with those requirements could have led to a different outcome.
“The PSGPC played no role in stopping the pilgrims,” he said, adding that the committee’s official statements on the matter remained on record.
Authorities also cited the absence of return tickets as grounds for halting the group. According to Arora, airline staff refused to issue boarding passes because the jatha members did not meet the airline’s travel requirements.
A Question of Consistency
The Hindu pilgrims’ departure through Karachi and Abu Dhabi has intensified scrutiny of how Pakistan applies travel requirements to minority religious groups travelling to India.
While officials describe the Sikh case as a documentation issue, critics argue that the differing outcomes raise questions about consistency: two minority communities sought to travel to India, yet encountered markedly different results under what critics say should be the same regulatory framework.
The episode has left a central question: are travel requirements being applied consistently, or does official discretion differ from one community to another?
With both cases now on record, pressure is mounting on Islamabad to clarify the circumstances surrounding the two journeys.