More than six months after the Attari-Wagah border was closed following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has made a rare exception by permitting a 49-member Pakistani Sikh jatha to return home through the land route ahead of Diwali. The jatha, comprising 21 men, 26 women and two children, had arrived in India by air and were scheduled to fly back. The devotees will instead cross the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP) on foot on Thursday under a special arrangement approved by the ministry.

For the pilgrims, many of whom had waited years for an opportunity to visit Sikh shrines in India and reunite with loved ones, the decision came as another unexpected blessing during a journey filled with emotional moments. The pilgrims arrived at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on October 8 via the Lahore-Tashkent-New Delhi route, carrying visas valid until November 6 and confirmed return air tickets.

However, under a special arrangement approved by the MHA, they will now cross the Attari-Wagah border on foot on November 5, saving them considerable travel expenses. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Harmeet Singh Kalka and its chief adviser (international affairs), Paramjit Singh Chandok, had approached the MHA seeking permission to change the return route and provide logistical support to the devotees.

“This trip has become a lifetime memory for all of us,” said jatha leader Papinder Singh, who received the official permission letter from the Indian authorities. “We are deeply grateful to the Indian and Pakistani governments, especially the DSGMC, for facilitating our return by land as a special case. We have already surrendered our return air tickets and will receive refunds. Besides making the journey easier, this has helped us save money,” he said. Chandok said the process of securing refunds for the air tickets had also been initiated by the DSGMC.

This was the second special gesture extended by the MHA to the jatha during its visit. Earlier, around 40 members of the delegation were granted a rare opportunity to undertake a pilgrimage to Hemkunt Sahib in Uttarakhand just two days before the annual closure of the revered shrine.

Recalling the twists and turns of the journey, Papinder said, “Initially, we bought expensive air tickets but were denied boarding at Faisalabad airport. A few days later, special arrangements were made with the support of the DSGMC, and we finally reached India. Then came the unforgettable experience of visiting Hemkunt Sahib.”