During their 10-day stay, pilgrims will visit important sites including Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib
Baba Karnail Singh, Baba Sardar Shobaik Singh and Sardar Harbans Singh were among the pilgrims who crossed into Pakistan to participate in the Baisakhi festival. PHOTO: ASIF MEHMOOD
LAHORE:
Hundreds of Sikh pilgrims who arrived from India at the Wagah border on Friday included three elderly men whose journey carried memories of more than eight decades as they returned to their birthplace in Pakistan for the first time since partition in 1947.
Baba Karnail Singh, Baba Sardar Shobaik Singh and Sardar Harbans Singh were among the pilgrims who crossed into Pakistan to participate in the Baisakhi festival. For them, the visit was not just a religious pilgrimage, but a deeply personal return to their ancestral village after a lifetime of separation.
The three were born in Dogej Wahgariyan, a village on the outskirts of Lahore, but were displaced during partition and later settled in Shahura, a border area in India’s Amritsar district. Despite the passage of time, they said the memories of their village remained vivid.
Although Pakistan issued 2,840 visas, only 2,238 pilgrims arrived and more than 600 did not leave despite receiving visas.PHOTO: ASIF MEHMOOD
During the immigration to Wagah, the elderly pilgrims appeared emotional. Baba Karnail Singh reminisced about the village streets, trees and a well where he spent his childhood. Baba Sardar Shobaik Singh said he still remembered the names of his Muslim friends but did not know where they were now, adding that not being able to return earlier remained a lifelong regret.
For Sardar Harbans Singh, the visit fulfilled a long-held wish. He said that his only wish in life had been to see his birthplace again.
Their story stood out among a larger group of 2,238 Indian Sikh pilgrims who arrived in Pakistan to participate in Baisakhi and the 327th birthday of the Khalsa.
The pilgrims were received at Wagah by officials including Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Chairman and Punjab Minority Affairs Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Additional Secretary Shrines Nasir Mushtaq and Lahore Commissioner Maryam Khan.
Mushtaq said extensive arrangements had been made for the pilgrims, including accommodation, langar, transport and medical facilities. He added that the main Baisakhi ceremony would be held on Tuesday at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal.
Arora said Pakistan was “not a second but the first home” for Sikhs, adding that the issuance of thousands of visas despite strained bilateral relations reflected the country’s commitment to peace. He said Pakistan’s doors would remain open for Sikh pilgrims.
Read more: Baisakhi celebrations begin
He further stated that 17 gurdwaras in Pakistan would become functional this year, while the restoration work at another 34 places would be completed within the next two years. He also urged India to fully open the Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate religious travel.
Arora said Pakistan ensured complete religious freedom for minorities and highlighted the country’s efforts for regional peace, citing diplomatic initiatives led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
During their 10-day stay, pilgrims will visit important sites including Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib.
Leaders of various Indian groups also appreciated the arrangements. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Group Leader Sardar Surjit Singh said Pakistan had consistently extended hospitality to Sikh pilgrims. Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee representatives Sardar Paramjit Singh Chandok and Sardar Harjit Singh also thanked the Pakistani authorities for visa issuance and facilities.
Although Pakistan issued 2,840 visas, only 2,238 pilgrims arrived and more than 600 did not leave despite receiving visas.
Pilgrims expressed similar sentiments. Manpreet Kaur from Amritsar said she never felt like a stranger in Pakistan and felt as if she had returned home. Harpal Singh from Delhi said the ties between the two countries should improve so that people can share in each other’s joys and sorrows.
Another pilgrim, Jaspreet Kaur, said she would take back clothes and gifts for relatives, but the biggest takeaway was the love and respect she received in Pakistan.
Many pilgrims expressed hope for improved relations between Pakistan and India and easier access to religious visits in the future.
Pilgrims were later transported under tight security in buses to Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal where they will perform religious rituals.
In the midst of the larger gathering, the quiet smiles and tearful eyes of the three elderly men reflected a rare reunion with their past as they briefly reconnected with the land they had left behind decades ago.
