Chandigarh, September 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Shiromani Akali Dal Punar-Surjit General Secretary Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Youth Wing President Gurjit Singh Talwandi have criticised the alleged stoppage of Pakistani Sikh pilgrims at Faisalabad Airport despite their holding valid Indian visas, calling the incident unfortunate and distressing.
In a joint press statement, the two leaders said the pilgrims were travelling to India to pay obeisance at Sri Hemkunt Sahib and other historic Sikh shrines. According to them, Pakistani immigration authorities prevented the pilgrims from boarding their flights and sought an NOC from them.
The leaders pointed out that the Wagah-Attari land route between India and Pakistan remains closed. As a result, the pilgrims had reportedly booked costly air travel through Dubai/Sharjah, spending lakhs of rupees on their journey.
They said the pilgrims were stopped only after reaching the airport, causing them to miss their flights and suffer substantial financial losses.
Wadala and Talwandi further alleged that an NOC is generally not required for ordinary citizens. They said that if such a requirement applied to the pilgrims, they should have been informed when booking their tickets or given sufficient advance notice, rather than being stopped at the airport at the last moment.
The SAD leaders urged the governments of India and Pakistan to take religious sentiments into consideration and simplify rules and procedures for pilgrims travelling to religious shrines. They also demanded the immediate reopening of the Wagah border to facilitate pilgrimage and travel between the two countries.
The statement was issued to the press by Media In-charge Tajinder Singh Pannu.
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