Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov.16: The government is considering reopening the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan ahead of the approaching Gurupurab, the birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru Guru Nanak.
The decision was made after a meeting of BJP MPs from Punjab with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, according to IANS. Sikh pilgrims, on the other hand, have been permitted to travel to the Kartarpur gurudwara via the Attari-Wagah border.
According to an IANS report, Pakistan, which had previously denied permission for Sikh pilgrims to access the country twice this year, has requested the Indian authorities to reinstate the corridor.
The corridor, which opened in 2019, was blocked in March 2020 due to the global health risk known as Covid-19.
The decision to reopen the corridor comes at the time when Punjab’s assembly elections, scheduled for early next year, approach.
The Centre recently determined that a ‘jatha’ of roughly 1500 pilgrims will be permitted to reach Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah Integrated Check Post from November 17 to 26, 2021, citing the significance of Gurupurab, according to IANS.
For the uninitiated, the 4km-long Kartarpur Corridor allows Indian Sikh pilgrims to enter Gurdwara Darbar Sahib without needing a visa. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, was laid to rest at the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara.
The corridor connects Pakistan’s Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara to India’s Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district.
