The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor will reopen on Wednesday, before Guru Nanak’s birthday or Gurparab, the center’s Narendra Modi government announced on Tuesday that it will benefit a large number of Sikh pilgrims. “The whole country is preparing to celebrate Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Utsav on November 19. I believe PM Narendra Modi government’s decision to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib corridor will further enhance the joy and happiness of the country,” Union home Minister Amit Shah Said in a tweet.
Political leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Charangit Singh Chani, praised the center’s move to reopen the corridor, which has been closed since March last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. On the other side of the border, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) also expressed its delight at the reopening, saying it will help Indian Sikhs to visit the last residence of Sikh founder Guru Nanak Dev without any hindrance.
The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free transit point connecting the Indian border to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. This 4.7 km long section allows devotees from India to visit Guruwala without a visa. The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, lived and died in Gurdwara in the early 16th century.
In 1999, the governments of India and Pakistan proposed the Kartarpur corridor as part of the New Delhi-Lahore bus diplomacy. On November 26, 2018, the Indian side laid the foundation for the corridor. On November 28, the foundation was laid on the Pakistani side.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan unveiled the Kaltapur Corridor in November 2019. As part of the commemorative event, he celebrated the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak’s birth in a colorful ceremony for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit them without a visa. One of Pakistan’s religious sacred sites paved the way.
News Source : Hindustan Times
