Kartarpur Corridor Reopens Today for pilgrimage.

The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor -- the road to Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan -- will reopen today, two days before the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted on Tuesday, saying the decision will benefit a large number of Sikh pilgrims. The Centre had blamed Pakistan for not reopening the 4.4 km corridor, which has been shut for more than a year.

"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," Mr Shah had tweeted.

Leaders across the political spectrum, including Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, lauded the Centre’s move to reopen the corridor, which had been closed since March last year given the coronavirus pandemic.

Across the border, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) also expressed happiness over the reopening by saying that it will help Indian Sikhs to visit the last abode of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev without any hindrance .

Movement on the Kartarpur corridor was suspended in March 2020, when Pakistan put restrictions on travel from India after the Covid outbreak. Last year, citing improvement in the pandemic situation, Pakistan first expressed its willingness to reopen the corridor on June 27. Islamabad then said it will reopen on October 3.

16CommentsThe 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. It is the place where the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak is believed to have spent the last 18 years of his life.