RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-549
ANSWERED ON- 04/12/2025
GURU NANAK JAYANTI CELEBRATIONS AT NANKANA SAHIB
549. SHRI SATNAM SINGH SANDHU
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-
(a) whether Government has taken cognizance of reports that fourteen Indian Hindu pilgrims were denied entry by Pakistan authorities during the Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations at Nankana Sahib;
(b) if so, whether this constitutes a violation of bilateral agreement on religious pilgrimages; and
(c) the steps being taken by Government to lodge protest against Pakistan and ensure non-recurrence of such discriminatory treatment against Indian citizens?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a to c) The Government of India is aware of denial of entry to fourteen Indian pilgrims by Pakistani authorities, despite having valid travel documents, to travel to Pakistan on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Gurupurab).
The Protocol Constituting an Agreement between the Government of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Visit to Religious Shrines 1974 stipulates that such visits from one country to the other shall be allowed without discrimination as to religion or sect.
Accordingly, the Government of India has lodged a strong protest on the case with the Government of Pakistan and has urged it to refrain from any discriminatory practices, including on religious grounds.