New Delhi: The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 737 visas to Indian pilgrims to participate in the annual festival marking the Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan from June 10 to 19, 2026.
The announcement was made by the Pakistan High Commission in India in a post on X “ The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 737 visas to pilgrims from India to participate in the annual festival scheduled on the eve of Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjun Dev Ji to be held in Pakistan from 10-19 June 2026”.
During the visit, pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib. Charge d’Affaires of Pakistan to India, Saad Ahmad Warraich, extended felicitations and wished the pilgrims a fulfilling yatra.
The issuance of visas is in line with Pakistan’s commitment to fully implement the Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) confirmed it had received visas for its contingent. The SGPC had submitted passports of 561 pilgrims to the Pakistani Embassy; visas were granted to 541, while 20 applicants could not obtain visas. The jatha will depart from SGPC headquarters on June 10 and participate in the main martyrdom anniversary events on June 18, returning to India on June 19.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Sikh Guru, attained martyrdom on June 16, 1606, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. He is revered as the first martyr in Sikh history, and his sacrifice is regarded as a defining moment in the evolution of Sikhism.
The 737 visas issued this year mark a significant drop from the 962 granted for the same festival in 2024 — a decline of roughly 23 per cent. The reduction comes against the backdrop of severely strained India-Pakistan relations following Operation Sindoor in May 2026, which triggered a military standoff between the two countries. Notably, pilgrims who visited Nankana Sahib ahead of Guru Nanak Jayanti last year had expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government for facilitating the visa process in the wake of security concerns following Operation Sindoor.
The continuation of religious pilgrimages, even at reduced numbers, signals that both sides have kept the 1974 shrine protocol channel open despite the diplomatic freeze.
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