Trip highlights: Islamabad- Hasanabadal- Lahore- Kartarpur- Sheikpura.

Moderate time: OCTOBER TO MAY.

The Sikh heritage and history in present-day Pakistan are rich and deeply rooted, despite the relatively small size of the Sikh community in the country today. The majority of Sikhs reside in the province of Punjab, an integral part of the larger Punjab region where Sikhism originated during the Middle Ages. Peshawar in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province is also home to a significant Sikh population. Notably, Nankana Sahib, situated in the Punjab province, holds immense importance as the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the revered founder of Sikhism. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Sikh community emerged as a formidable political force. Ranjit Singh, a Sikh leader, played a pivotal role in establishing the first Sikh empire, with Lahore as its capital—the same Lahore that stands as the second-largest city in Pakistan today. Large Sikh populations thrived in major Punjab cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad. However, post the independence of Pakistan in 1947, a significant migration occurred as minority Hindus and Sikhs moved to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in Pakistan. In the post-independence era, the Sikh community in Pakistan underwent a process of reorganization. The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PGPC) was established to represent the community and safeguard the holy sites and heritage of Sikhism in Pakistan. Notably, the Pakistani government has initiated measures to facilitate pilgrimages, allowing Sikhs from India to visit Sikh places of worship in Pakistan and vice versa, enabling Pakistani Sikhs to travel to India. This signifies a positive step towards fostering religious connections and preserving the shared heritage of the Sikh community in the region.