Nagar kirtan at Kartarpur gurdwara on Oct 21, 2021 – Photo: PSGPC
By Asia Samachar | India |
India is reopening the Kartarpur Corridor some 21 months after shutting it down at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Starting tomorrow (17 Nov), Sikhs will be allowed to use the ‘corridor’ to cross the India-Pakistan international border to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur which holds the memory of the place where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life.
The move, announced in a tweet by Indian home minister Amit Shah today, coincides with the on-going celebrations of Guru Nanak’s birthday.
The Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free crossing allowing Indian Sikhs to visit the historic gurdwara in Pakistan, was first opened in 2019 for Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary.
In the tweet, Amit said: “The nation is all set to celebrate the Prakash Utsav of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji on 19th of November and I am sure that PM @NarendraModi govt’s decision to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib corridor will further boost the joy and happiness across the country.
“In a major decision, that will benefit large numbers of Sikh pilgrims, PM @Narendramodi govt has decided to re-open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor from tomorrow, Nov 17. This decision reflects the immense reverence of Modi govt towards Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and our Sikh community.”
In a separate statement, India’s home ministry said the movement of pilgrims from India to Pakistan through the corridor will begin from Wednesday “keeping in view improved covid-19 situation.”
The 4.5 km-long corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur to Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, a small town in Pakistan’s Punjab province, about 4 km from the international border.
On Oct 21, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) organised a nagar kirtan, or a kirtan procession, from the Kartarpur gurdwara to ‘zero line’, the entry point of the corridor.
“At Zero line Ardas for reopening of Corridor from Indian side was offered by Giani Harpreet Singh Jathedar Akal Takht, India. Sikhs on Indian Side of the corridor and Indian Darshan point also witness the Nagar Keertan,” according to updates at PSGPC social media accounts.
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