Sikh pilgrims enter Pakistan, first major crossing since May conflict

Pakistan on Tuesday (November 4, 2025) welcomed dozens of Sikh pilgrims from India, AFP journalists saw, in the first major crossing since deadly clashes in May closed the land border between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

More than 2,100 pilgrims were granted visas to attend a 10-day festival marking 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Pakistan’s High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said last week.

Tensions remain high between Islamabad and New Delhi after the worst fighting since 1999 took place in May, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery exchanges.

The Wagah-Attari border — the only active land crossing between the two countries — was closed to general traffic following the violence.

Pilgrims queued up on the Indian side of the border on Tuesday (November 4, 2025) morning, some carrying their luggage on their heads, as the Border Security Force looked on.

AFP journalists on the Pakistani side of the Wagah-Attari border saw dozens of them entering Pakistan.

They were received by Pakistani officials who presented them with flowers and showered them with rose petals.

Media reported around 1,700 were due to cross into Pakistan, although there was no immediate official confirmation from the authorities.

The pilgrims will gather on Wednesday (November 5, 2025) at Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak’s birthplace about 80 kms west of Lahore by road, and later visit other sacred sites in Pakistan, including Kartarpur, where the guru is buried.

Pakistan’s High Commission had said last week its decision was consistent with efforts to promote “inter-religious and inter-cultural harmony and understanding”.

Newspapers reported Saturday (November 1, 2025) that the government would allow “selected” groups to travel to Pakistan.

The Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free route that opened in 2019 that allows Sikhs to visit the temple without crossing the main border, remains closed since the conflict.

The four-day clashes broke out in May after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an attack targeting tourists in Pahalgham on April 22, claims Pakistan denied.