The Union government has announced that the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara corridor to Pakistan will reopen tomorrow, ahead of Gurupurab—the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on November 19.
Home Minister Amit Shah announced the reopening on Twitter, saying that the decision would benefit a large number of Sikh pilgrims.
The corridor was closed in March 2020—just four months after it had opened—due to the Covid pandemic.
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.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 16, 2021
This decision reflects the immense reverence of Modi govt towards Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and our Sikh community.
The reopening was anticipated after BJP MPs from Punjab had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
Moreover, the Pakistan government last week had urged India to allow devotees to visit the gurdwara ahead of the celebration.
It is seen as a “peace corridor” between the two countries and had witnessed 45,000 pilgrims travel to the gurdwara between November 2019 and February 2020.
The corridor allows Sikh pilgrims to travel visa-free to the Kartarpur gurdwara via the Attari-Wagah border.
Earlier this year, devotees had expected the government to open it during the three-day death anniversary rites of Guru Nanak, but it was not to be, leaving many disappointed.
Pakistan officials told The Hindu last week that the corridor was not closed from their side and that groups of Indian Sikh pilgrims were already being facilitated to visit the gurdwara this week.
More than 3,000 visas have already been issued by Pakistan to Sikh pilgrims.
