Amritsar, Sept. 12 -- More than 100 Pakistani Sikhs, who were scheduled to visit India on pilgrimage to historic gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib in Uttarakhand, were stopped by the immigration authorities at Faisalabad International Airport (some 150 km from Lahore) from boarding an indirect flight to India via Dubai, officials said. The 104 pilgrims, who had valid Indian visas, were scheduled to travel to New Delhi via Dubai. There is currently no direct air, rail or road link between Pakistan and India. The land and rail links were suspended following the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor in 2025. With the Wagah-Attari land route unavailable, the pilgrims opted for a considerably more expensive route via a third country. An official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said the authorities stopped the pilgrims 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 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," the official said, requesting anonymity. Another official from the federal government said the Sikhs in question had arranged their Indian visas on their 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. A video showing the stranded pilgrims at the airport has been widely shared online. In it, a Pakistani Sikh 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. Other Sikh families were also seen waiting at the airport. One of the Sikh youths was heard saying that they are not criminals for whom an NOC is needed. He also said he is a government employee in Pakistan. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) condemned the Pakistani authorities' decision to stop the pilgrims. "The pilgrims were travelling to visit historic Sikh shrines across India after securing official entry visas from the Indian government. The last-minute disruption is highly unfortunate and deeply damaging to religious sentiments," SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said. Dhami said that imposing unexpected clearance conditions at the departure terminal had caused immense distress to pilgrims who had spent months preparing for the spiritual journey. He urged the Pakistani government to immediately intervene and clear the delegation for departure, proposing the Attari-Wagah land border as a viable alternative route if air transit proves unfeasible. Dhami urged both New Delhi and Islamabad to adopt a flexible and humanitarian approach to religious travel, saying bureaucratic and diplomatic issues should not hinder the freedom of worship. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) general secretary Gurpartap Singh Wadala and youth wing head Gurjit Singh Talwandi expressed concern over the alleged denial of boarding to pilgrims despite their possession of valid Indian visas. In a joint statement, the two leaders said the pilgrims should have been informed in advance if an NOC was required. They urged the authorities concerned to clarify the requirement and ensure that religious pilgrims are not subjected to avoidable inconvenience....