Petition in Lahore High Court alleges violation of visa rules by Sikh pilgrim Sarabjit Kaur

After initial hearing on the new constitutional petition on the alleged violation of visa rules by Sikh pilgrim Sarabjit Kaur from India, the Lahore High Court on Friday issued a notice to the state.

HC advocate Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi confirmed that the petition had been resubmitted after removing the previous objections, which the high court fixed for hearing before a single Bench today. The Bench of Justice Farooq Haider issued a notice to the state after the initial hearing and sought its response within two weeks.

It was mentioned in the petition that Sarabjit Kaur has been going to places other than the scheduled pilgrimage and continuing to stay in Pakistan despite the expiry of her visa.

This petition has been filed by former Member of Punjab Assembly and former Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights and Minority Affairs Mahendra Pal Singh through his lawyer Advocate Ali Chengizi Sandhu.

The federal government, Ministry of Interior, FIA, Punjab government, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Punjab Minority Affairs Department have also been made parties in the petition.

According to the petition, Sarabjit Kaur, a native of Muktsar district of Indian Punjab, entered Pakistan on November 4, 2025.

She was issued a 10-day single-entry religious visa, under which she was restricted to only a few specific pilgrimages — such as Nankana Sahib, Kartarpur, and approved religious sites — until November 13, 2025.

The petition contended that Sarabjit Kaur did not comply with the prescribed conditions of the visa, travelled beyond the pilgrimage limits, continued to stay in Pakistan despite the expiry of the visa, which clearly falls under the category of overstay and violation of Pakistani laws.

It has also been further claimed that Sarabjit Kaur is facing fraud and cheating cases in India, hence, granting her a visa, border clearance, and permission to move freely within the country raises several serious legal and security questions.

The petitioner has requested the court to declare Sarabjit Kaur an illegally staying foreigner, order his immediate deportation. FIA should investigate how the visa was issued without proper background check. He demanded to make the religious visa policy more stringent and effective in the future, develop a comprehensive monitoring system for the movement and stay of pilgrims, issue instructions to the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Punjab Minority Affairs Department to further tighten the monitoring of pilgrimages.