MP Satnam Sandhu flags discriminatory denial of entry to Hindu pilgrims visiting Pakistan on Gurpurab in Parliament
MP Satnam Sandhu urges Union Government to take up the matter of denial of entry to Hindu Pilgrims with Pakistan Government
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, December 2, 2025: Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Satnam Singh Sandhu has raised the issue of ‘discriminatory denial of entry’ to Hindu pilgrims at the Wagah–Attari border, even though they were part of the official Sikh jatha travelling to Pakistan to mark the Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Parkash Purab.
Condemning the incident as discriminatory and provocative, MP Satnam Sandhu while speaking in the House through ‘Special Mention’ during the on-going Winter Session of Parliament, urged the Union Government to take up the matter with Pakistani authorities to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future so that “no pilgrim ever faces such humiliation or disappointment again”.
Notably, out of total 2,100 people whom the Union Home Ministry had cleared to visit Pakistan after latter had issued visas and travel documents, around 1,900 people entered Pak via the Wagah border on November 4, marking the first people-to-people contact since Operation Sindoor, the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan in May this year. But the Pakistani authorities stopped 14 Hindu pilgrims from entering the country despite they were the part of the Sikh jatha visiting Nankana Sahib. The pilgrims from India visit scared shrines on four different occasions every year in Pakistan.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring the continued pilgrimage to Sri Nankana Sahib by respecting the sentiments of Sikhs despite Operation Sindoor and tensions with Pakistan, MP Satnam Sandhu said, “Guru Nanak Dev Ji is revered not only by Sikhs, but also by Hindus across India. Denying devoted pilgrims their visit due to their religious background especially during the sacred birth anniversary celebrations, is both unacceptable and condemnable. These pilgrims had applied on time as per the established procedures, yet Pakistan denied them entry.”
Terming the incident as “deeply troubling act that violates not only the spirit of bilateral pilgrimage facilitation but also basic norms of religious tolerance and respect”, MP Satnam Sandhu said, “By not allowing Hindu pilgrims to enter their country, Pakistan has continued with its divisive agenda and nefarious designs. This abominable act by Pakistan is clearly aimed at creating religious divisions.”
“The pilgrimage to Sri Nankana Sahib holds profound cultural, religious and spiritual significance for us. Pakistan’s repeated last-minute bans and obstructions clearly show that it neither respects the sentiments of the pilgrims nor honours its own commitments. This is not only a violation of the India Pakistan agreement but also an act that deeply hurts the faith and religious sentiments of millions of devotees,” added Sandhu.
MP Satnam Sandhu urged the Union Government to intervene and vociferously take up the matter with Pakistani authorities to ensure equal access for all Indian pilgrims irrespective of their religion and pilgrim jathas are not subject to last-minute discrimination or humiliating denial at the border in future.