Is Pakistan safe for Sikhs to visit in 2025?

Update May 2025: No damage has been reported to any of the Sikh sites or tourist infrastructure including hotels in Pakistan during the four-day war fought between India and Pakistan in May 2025. International flights in and out of Lahore were disrupted for three days during the war. The conflict has had a major impact on travel as India has shut off the Wagah border, which is the only land route connecting the two countries. Until Wagah border is reopened, pilgrims travelling from India will have to book flights to Lahore via Dubai. The Kartarpur Corridor remains closed to pilgrims from India but can be accessed from Pakistan. Until India re-opens Wagah border, flying in and out of Pakistan via Lahore (or Islamabad if you want to visit Panja Sahib first) remains the only viable means of visiting Pakistan.

This is one of the most common questions we get! Eight to ten thousand Sikhs have been visiting Pakistan each year for the last twenty years both from India and from the diaspora. At no point during this time have Sikh visitors or Gurdwaras been harmed. Around 4000 Sikhs visited Pakistan for Gurpurab in November 2023! Pakistan gets about overall 1 million international visitors each year.

However, its true that bombings and attacks in cities in Pakistan were frequent from 2008 to 2014. Since 2014, the security situation in Pakistan’s mainland has significantly improved. Pakistan is a large country and there are some remaining conflicts between security forces and insurgent groups but these are concentrated in the mountainous regions along the Afghan border, which are very far from where our guests will be visiting.

Our itineraries are in Pakistan’s safest regions in Punjab and the Islamabad Capital Territory, where street crime is actually lower than most Western countries. We take regular feedback from all our visitors, and none report feeling unsafe in the country. Pakistanis have warm feelings towards the overseas Punjabi community and our guests report feeling welcomed and loved by the locals they encounter. Our assessment is that Pakistan is safe to visit.