Nearly 3,000 Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan from India for Baisakhi

Pakistan approved 100 per cent of Baisakhi Visas this year, issuing 6,629 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims – more than double the usual quota. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims have flocked to Pakistan from India for Baisakhi Festival this week, creating a vibrant hub of faith and celebration at Gurdwara Panja Sahib.

In total, nearly 3,000 pilgrims arrived from India, joined by hundreds from countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

Baisakhi, celebrated annually on April 14, commemorates the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The festival also aligns with the spring harvest, making it a deeply spiritual and culturally significant event for the global Sikh community.

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For many of these devotees, the journey to Pakistan — home to several of Sikhism’s holiest sites — represents a long-cherished spiritual aspiration. Pilgrims participate in religious service, work in temple kitchens and help fellow visitors as an expression of devotion. Panja Sahib and its surroundings become a hub of hymns, communal meals, and prayers.

According to an article published in Arab News, the legend behind this religious site says that at this location, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, halted a massive boulder hurled at him by a local saint, stopping it with his bare hand. The rock is believed to still bear the imprint of his palm, or panja, which gives the shrine its name.

In recent years, Pakistan has taken significant steps to promote religious tourism by improving access to historic Sikh, Hindu, and Buddhist sites. A landmark development in this regard was the launch of the Kartarpur Corridor in 2019, allowing Indian Sikhs visa-free access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, where Guru Nanak spent his final years.