Guru Nanak’s 486th birth anniversary ceremonies begin sans Indian pilgrims

• Event honors Guru Nanak’s final resting place where he spent his last 18 years. 
• Death anniversary solemnities to be performed from September 20 to 22. 
• Indian Home Ministry denies permission for crossing border to Sikh citizens. 

KARTARPUR: Sikh devotees from across Pakistan and abroad are arriving at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, as three-day rituals marking the 486th death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak begin today.

The pilgrims will commemorate the death anniversary in solemnities performed at the Gurdwara from September 20 to 22. 

The event, which honors Guru Nanak’s final resting place where he spent his last 18 years, drew thousands of yatris (pilgrims) from across Pakistan and abroad, though Indian Sikhs were barred from travelling to Pakistan this time around.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs denied permission for crossing the border to the Sikh citizens willing to visit Kartarpur for the death anniversary commemoration, citing prevailing tensions and security concerns between New Delhi and Islamabad. 

Reacting to the decision, opposition parties and Sikh religious leaders in Indian Punjab condemned the restriction, saying that it was unjustifiable when cricket matches were being held with Pakistan. 

Former Lok Sabha member Sukhbir Singh Badal urged Home Minister Amit Shah to reconsider the decision. 

Thousands of Sikh pilgrims come to Pakistan every year to commemorate Baisakhi and other religious holidays.

These visits are facilitated under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, aimed at fostering religious harmony and cross-border understanding.

It may be noted that relations between Pakistan and India have plunged to their lowest point in years following the deadly gun attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where 26 tourists, including one Nepali national, were shot dead in Pahalgam’s scenic Baisaran Valley.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack — allegations that Islamabad denies. Following that, India launched an attack on Pakistan, branded as “Operation Sindoor”, but met with a befitting response.

The Pakistani armed forces not only shot down Indian drones that came into Pakistani territory, destroyed their check posts on the border, but also shot down their fighter jets, including the French-made Rafale.

The conflict ended after United States President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between the arch-rival nations.