Pakistan issues 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary

Sikh pilgrims arrive to take part in a religious ritual on the occasion of the 481st death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, at the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur near the India-Pakistan border on September 22, 2020. (AFP/ File)
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Updated 14 November 2021
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Pakistan issues 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary

  • Every year, thousands of Sikhs travel to Pakistan to participate in celebrations
  • Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary celebrations will begin on Nov. 17

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has issued 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to arrive for celebrations marking the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, the information ministry said on Saturday.

Every year, thousands of Sikhs travel to Pakistan to participate in Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary celebrations. This year, they will begin on Nov. 17.

“Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued around 3000 visas to Indian Sikh Yatrees to participate in the 552nd Birth Anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak in Pakistan from 17-26 November 2021,” the ministry said.

During their stay in Pakistan, Sikh pilgrims would pay respect at different Gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Janamasthan and Gurdawara Darbar Sahib.

“The issuance of maximum number of pilgrimage visas is in line with the Government of Pakistan’s efforts for promoting visits to religious shrines in Pakistan,” the ministry’s statement read.

Much of the Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan, including Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, which is also of particular importance to the Sikh community as it was built in tribute to Guru Nanak, who established the town of Kartarpur in 1515. It is also his final resting place.

The Pakistani government has in recent years taken several initiatives to facilitate Sikh pilgrims, including by opening in 2019 a visa-free passage, the Kartarpur corridor, connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib to the border with India and allowing Indian Sikhs to visit the site.

The opening of the corridor on Nov. 9, 2019 marked the first time Indian Sikh pilgrims could enter Pakistan without a visa since 1947.


One dead, four injured as gas cylinder explosion triggers fire in Karachi building

Updated 22 February 2026
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One dead, four injured as gas cylinder explosion triggers fire in Karachi building

  • Fire triggered by gas cylinder explosion in Karachi’s Bismillah Residency in North Nazimabad area, say police
  • Many households in Pakistan rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders which are susceptible to gas explosions

ISLAMABAD: One person was killed while four others were injured in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi after a gas cylinder exploded, triggering a fire inside a residential building, police and rescue officials said on Sunday.

The fire was caused on Saturday night by a gas cylinder explosion at a flat in Bismillah Residency located in Karachi’s North Nazimabad area, Sindh Police said in a statement. Local media reports said the flat was located on the ninth floor of the high-rise building.

Rescue 1122 Sindh emergency service said its firefighters arrived shortly after the fire was reported and doused the flames on Sunday morning. It said all of the building’s occupants, except for the one person who was killed by the fire, were rescued.

“The child who died in the fire that broke out following a cylinder blast in a building has been identified as Burhan, son of Aoun, aged 15,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson said in a statement.

It said the injured included two women, one man and a four-year-old girl.

“All the injured were shifted to hospital after receiving immediate medical aid, and the rescue operation has been completed,” the spokesperson added.

This is the second such explosion to take place in Karachi in less than a week. At least 15 people were killed, including women and children, when a gas cylinder exploded in a residential building in the city’s Soldier Bazaar area on Thursday.

Most houses and apartment buildings in Karachi, like elsewhere in Pakistan, are supplied with natural gas for cooking. However, many households also rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure.

In July, a gas explosion following a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, killed eight people, including the bride and groom.

A massive fire at a popular shopping mall in Karachi last month killed over 70 people.