India to reopen Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for pilgrims

The ministry of home affairs has decided to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor from November 17. Pilgrimage to the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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.

Kartarpur Sahib Corridor

• Kartarpur village is located at the west bank of river Ravi where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life. 

• The Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.

• Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has been built as an integrated development project with all modern amenities.

• On November 22, 2018, the Centre approved the proposal to commemorate the 550the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev which includes the opening of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for smooth and easy passage of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur round the year.

• In October 2019, India signed an agreement with Pakistan on the modalities for operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Zero Point, International Boundary, Dera Baba Nanak.

• On November 9, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Integrated Check Post of the Kartarpur Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur in Punjab and flagged off the first batch of pilgrims. 

• The Indian part of Dera Baba Nanak — Kartarpur Sahib Corridor — involves a 4.1 km long four lane highway from Dera Baba Nanak to International Border and a state of the art Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) at the International Border. 

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