Around 6,000 Sikh pilgrims from India were scheduled to cross into Pakistan via the Wagah border to celebrate the Baisakhi festival at the Gurdwaras in Pakistan. However, out of these, 288 pilgrims are still waiting after 18 hours, hoping for someone from the Pakistan administration to arrive and escort them. The government has not arranged food or even drinking water for them. The pilgrims are suffering from severe hunger and thirst. Among them are many young children, which gives an idea of the distressing situation they are facing.
This exposes the tall claims of the Pakistan government, showing that they lack the basic resources to manage arrangements even for just 6,000 pilgrims. In contrast, India recently hosted the grand Kumbh Mela, where the government made robust arrangements for millions of pilgrims.
Around 6,000 Sikh pilgrims from India were scheduled to cross into Pakistan via the Wagah border to celebrate the Baisakhi festival at the Gurdwaras in Pakistan. However, out of these, 288 pilgrims are still waiting after 18 hours, hoping for someone from the Pakistan… pic.twitter.com/UHX0Tf7e8V
— Khalsa Vox (@khalsavox) April 11, 2025
Every year on Baisakhi, a group of Sikh pilgrims travels from India to visit Gurdwaras in Pakistan. This year too, pilgrims began reaching Wagah from 6 a.m. on the 10th. Both India and Pakistan had issued visas to around 6,000 pilgrims. But sadly, while visas were granted, the Pakistan government failed to make proper arrangements, leaving the pilgrims stranded at Wagah, waiting for the administration to respond.
The pilgrims are expected to stay in Pakistan for nine days. It remains to be seen what other hardships they might face. Shockingly, even the head of the Pakistan Gurdwara Committee walked away from his responsibility after seeing the situation and left the site. It was the duty of both the Pakistan government and the Gurdwara Committee to ensure adequate lodging, langar (community meals), and other necessities so that pilgrims wouldn’t face any trouble.
They had also assured the Indian government of the necessary arrangements, based on which visas were issued to over 6,000 people. Now, pilgrims have managed to somehow contact authorities in India and are appealing for help for those stuck at the Pakistan border. It remains to be seen how much longer they’ll have to wait to reach their destination.
