Pakistani immigration authorities stopped over 90 Sikh pilgrims with visas from boarding an indirect flight to India on September 11, citing a lack of return tickets and a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the federal government. The group had arrived at Faisalabad International Airport in Pakistan to catch a Gulf-bound airline with connections to India. According to officials, the pilgrims should have coordinated with the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee for their travel arrangements, rather than arranging their Indian visas through a local committee. The issue has left around 90 Pakistani Sikhs stranded at the airport, awaiting resolution.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Over 90 Pakistani Sikhs, including women and children, were stopped from boarding a flight to India on September 11, 2026, despite having visas. The group was traveling to Sri Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand as part of a pilgrimage. According to officials, the Sikhs did not have the required documents, including a return ticket and a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the federal government. As a result, they were unable to board their indirect flight to India, which is currently the only way for them to travel due to the lack of direct air, rail, or road links between Pakistan and India. The group had obtained their Indian visas through a committee in Delhi on their own, rather than coordinating with the official Sikh committee in Pakistan.
Written for “Sikh Pilgrims Denied Entry” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 7792 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-11
Over 90 Pakistani Sikhs with visas for pilgrimage to Sri Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand were stopped by the immigration authorities on Friday (September 11, 2026) from boarding an indirect flight to India, officials said.
asserted
officials → stop → India
As many as 92 Pakistani Sikhs, including women and children, arrived at the Faisalabad International Airport (some 150 km from Lahore) to catch an indirect flight to India, an official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told PTI.
asserted
official → include → PTI
However, the authorities stopped them from boarding a Gulf-bound airline as they did not possess a return ticket and a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the federal government, the official added.
asserted
official → stop → government
"The immigration officials told them to produce an NOC from the federal government and the return ticket, after which they would be allowed to proceed to their destination," he said.
asserted
he → tell → destination
Another official from the federal government told PTI that the Sikhs in question had arranged their Indian visas through the Delhi Mandar Management Committee on their own.
asserted
Sikhs → tell → own
"They should have coordinated with the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee for their travel and preferred Wagah Border for crossing into India," he said, adding that it is likely that they may be allowed to go for pilgrimage via the Wagah Border.
uncertain
they → coordinate → Border
In a video being widely shared online, a Pakistani Sikh at the Faisalabad airport is heard saying that the immigration authorities have stopped them from travelling to India.
"For the last four hours we are languishing at the Faisalabad airport...someone should take notice of this and help the pilgrims proceed to their destination," he said.
asserted
he → share → destination
The other Sikh families were seen waiting at the airport premises.
asserted
families → see → premises
