Pakistan to offer visa-on-arrival for Sikh pilgrims from India and abroad

Pakistan PM Imran Khan has recently announced that his government would issue multiple entry and visa-on-arrival to Sikh pilgrims from India and abroad. The move, as he said, has been made to facilitate travel to the holy sites in Pakistan.

While speaking to the reporters, Imran Khan said, “I assure that you will be issued multiple visas... This is our responsibility.” He also mentioned, “We will give you visas at the airport to facilitate your journey.”

He also added that though his government has changed the visa regime, the mindset of creating hurdles will gradually diminish. He said that after coming to power, his government realised the difficulties faced by foreigners to get Pakistani visas when intending to visit the country for tourism or pilgrimage.

Sikh pilgrims from India and several other countries frequently visit various religious sites in Punjab, Pakistan. In fact, a number of Sikh devotees annually visit Pakistan on the birth and death anniversaries of Guru Nanak, the martyrdom of Guruwar Jin Devji, Baisakhi, and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
As per records, when Guru Nanak arrived in Sialkot from Kashmir during the 16th century, he stayed under the tree of Beri. And, to pay him tribute, Sardar Natha Singh built a gurdwara on that site. It is just one of the many revered pilgrimage sites in the country.

In November 2018, India and Pakistan agreed to set up a border crossing, linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, to Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.

However, after India abrogated Article 370, the tension between India and Pakistan began to rise. Further escalating the issue, Pakistan began suspending trains that connected both the countries. However, the latest report of Pakistan assuring of multiple entries and visa-on-arrival to Sikh pilgrims from India and abroad, comes as a welcome surprise.