{"id":36976,"date":"2026-09-11T13:27:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T07:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/india-pakistan-religious-travel-rules-changed\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T13:27:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T07:57:54","slug":"india-pakistan-religious-travel-rules-changed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/india-pakistan-religious-travel-rules-changed\/","title":{"rendered":"India-Pakistan Religious Travel Rules Changed"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\"Members<\/picture><\/div>\n

Members and staff of the passport committee checking passports before departure for Pakistan. (Inset: Jyoti Malhotra, accused in the spy scandal)<\/span><\/p>\n

The central and Haryana governments have changed the rules for religious travel between India and Pakistan. The decision was taken after a Pakistani espionage network came to light following Operation Sindoor and the case of Hisar YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Security agencies’ investigation has revealed that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, and private tour operators there sponsor Indian citizens in the name of religious travel and weave a network of espionage.<\/p>\n

In view of this, the Indian government has completely banned all types of privately sponsored tours originating from Pakistan. It will now no longer be possible to travel to Pakistan through individuals or private agencies.<\/p>\n

Harkirat Singh, tourism in-charge of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, also confirmed this. He told Dainik Bhaskar that privately sponsored tours had been discontinued after espionage cases such as that of Jyoti Malhotra came to light.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Earlier, people travelling to Pakistan would contact an agency there to arrange a tour programme and then travel from India to undertake religious tours.<\/p>\n

\"About<\/picture><\/div>\n

About 10 months ago, a group departed from the historic Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi in Kurukshetra.<\/span><\/p>\n

How religious journeys to Pakistan take place and what the quota is<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Religious journeys between India and Pakistan take place through both channels \u2013 individual travel and groups. Most devotees travel in groups under the India-Pakistan “Religious Shrines Protocol, 1974”. Under this arrangement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs provide visa and security clearances.<\/p>\n

Through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, established in 2019, Indian citizens and OCI cardholders can travel in the morning and return by evening without a visa, using only their passports. In addition, people also travel to the Katas Raj Temple for Shivratri on special group or individual visas.<\/p>\n

Approved Annual Quota for SGPC and HSGMC Jathas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under the 1974 bilateral agreement, the main groups of Sikh pilgrims travel to Pakistan on four major occasions each year. Under this agreement, a total of 8,000 Sikh pilgrims are permitted to travel to Pakistan each year across all four occasions (visa quota).<\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  • Baisakhi\/Khalsa Sajna Day (April): Maximum 3,000 pilgrims<\/li>\n
  • Martyrdom Day of Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji (May-June): Maximum 1,000 pilgrims<\/li>\n
  • Death Anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (June): Maximum 1,000 pilgrims<\/li>\n
  • Prakash Parv of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (November – Nankana Sahib): Maximum 3,000 pilgrims<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
    \"Jyoti<\/picture><\/div>\n

    Jyoti with Pakistani officer Danish and his wife at the Iftar party held at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi on March 28, 2024. (File)<\/span><\/p>\n

    How the sponsorship used to happen and what has changed now…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
      \n
    • Previous Rule (Private Sponsorship): <\/strong>Pakistani private tour operators, such as travel agencies in Lahore and Islamabad, used to send sponsorship letters directly to Indian citizens, influencers, and pilgrims. In return, visas were easily obtained from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.<\/li>\n
    • According to 2025 reports by the Punjab and Haryana Police, under this pretext, Pakistani agencies approached travellers by offering accommodation, sightseeing, and other amenities and then worked to gather strategic and sensitive information related to India.<\/li>\n
    • New rule now (recognised entities only): <\/strong>The government has completely eliminated private networks. From now on, only registered and constitutional religious bodies such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) will be permitted to take jathas (groups) to Pakistan within the prescribed limits. No private individual will be able to apply directly for a visa.<\/li>\n
    • Police verification has become even stricter: <\/strong>All applications will be collected by the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (Kurukshetra). After this, the local police, CID, and central intelligence agencies will conduct a thorough background check of the applicants. Only after clearance is received will the visa file be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

      A group of 2,000 devotees will travel from Haryana on Gurpurab<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Meanwhile, the Haryana government has begun the process for devotees to visit Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and other historic gurdwaras on the sacred occasion of the birth anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Gurpurab).<\/p>\n

      Applications have been invited from the Sikh community to participate in the religious ceremonies being held from November 22 to December 1. Devotees can submit their applications at the local level or at the office of the district deputy commissioner by September 12.<\/p>\n

      \"Hisar<\/picture><\/div>\n

      Hisar YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra while traveling to Pakistan from the Wagah border.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Now read about Jyoti Malhotra’s case…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
        \n
      • Accused of sending videos of military camps to Pakistani agents: <\/strong>Hisar-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was arrested on May 16, 2025. A police investigation claimed that she sent videos of military camps at the Kashmir Dam and the Rajasthan border to Pakistani agents and remained in continuous contact with them. After a 90-day investigation, the police filed a charge sheet.<\/li>\n
      • Claim of contact and meetings with Pakistani agents: <\/strong>According to Hisar police, despite a travel advisory, Jyoti travelled to Pakistan, exchanged phone numbers with Pakistani agents, and held meetings with them. Her mobile phone revealed contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim Danish Ali, an official of the Pakistan High Commission, and Shakir, Hasan Ali, and Nasir Dhillon, who were alleged to be linked to the ISI.<\/li>\n
      • Also came under investigation following trips to Pakistan and China:<\/strong> Jyoti first went to Pakistan in 2024 and, approximately 25 days later, travelled to China. In Pakistan, she also interviewed Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz. Following these trips and her contacts in Pakistan, security agencies began monitoring her.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

        Tourism in-charge also came under the purview of investigation in the espionage case<\/strong><\/p>\n

        The scope of the investigation agencies is continuously expanding in the case of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who is lodged in Hisar jail on charges of spying for Pakistan.<\/p>\n

        Jyoti had contacted Harkirat Singh, the tourism in-charge of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, in connection with a Pakistani visa.<\/p>\n

        After Jyoti’s arrest, Hisar police and central agencies questioned Harkirat Singh intensively for several hours in Kurukshetra. Although he was later released, the police seized both his mobile phones and sent them for forensic examination. The agencies have included Harkirat Singh in the list of official evidence and witnesses in the case.<\/p>\n

        <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Members and staff of the passport committee checking passports before departure for Pakistan. (Inset: Jyoti Malhotra, accused in the spy scandal) The central and Haryana governments have changed the rules for religious travel between India and Pakistan. The decision was taken after a Pakistani espionage network came to light following Operation Sindoor and the case…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[34468,34465,34462,34466,34467,28129,34463,34464],"class_list":["post-36976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nation","tag-cross-border-travel","tag-hsgmc","tag-india-pakistan-travel","tag-isi-espionage","tag-jyoti-malhotra","tag-operation-sindoor","tag-religious-tourism","tag-sgpc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}