Centre arranges special Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage for Pakistani Sikhs before the shrine closes
A 49-member jatha from Peshawar, Panja Sahib, Lahore and Nankana Sahib landed in Delhi, and about 40 pilgrims went on to Hemkund Sahib under special escort arranged by the Home Ministry at the DSGMC's request, before the shrine's 10 October closure.
- The Tribune
A 49-member jatha from Peshawar, Panja Sahib, Lahore and Nankana Sahib landed in Delhi, and about 40 pilgrims went on to Hemkund Sahib under special escort arranged by the Home Ministry at the DSGMC's request, before the shrine's 10 October closure. In September, 94 of 104 visa holders had been stopped at Faisalabad airport.
Key data
Some pilgrims had not seen relatives in India for over 12 years.
Why it matters
India facilitated pilgrimage for a Dharmic minority from Pakistan despite frozen bilateral ties.
GK: did you know?
Hemkund Sahib, at about 4,632 m in Chamoli district, is linked in the Bachittar Nāṭak to Guru Gobind Singh's meditation in a previous life.
