India to reopen Kartarpur corridor from November 17; large no. of Sikh pilgrims to benefit

In a massive development on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the PM Modi-led government has decided to reopen the Kartarpur corridor from November 17. This comes a day after a delegation of Punjab BJP leaders met the PM to consider the reopening of the corridor which has been closed since March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking to Twitter, Shah stated, "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 Narendra Modi government's decision to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib corridor will further boost the joy and happiness across the country". 

Speaking to PTI on Monday, Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma had revealed, "We have requested Prime Minister Modi to reopen the Kartarpur corridor before Gurupurab which will be celebrated before November 19. And after meeting with him, we are hopeful that it will be opened soon". Several leaders including Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, Daya Sodhi, Bikramjit Singh Cheema, Harjeet Singh Grewal, Santokh Singh Gumtala and the party's in-charge Dushyant Gautam were a part of the delegation that met the PM. 

Earlier, politicians from other parties such as Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, ex-CM Amarinder Singh, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Navjot Sidhu too had demanded the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor. Reacting to the latest development, Sidhu commented, "Welcome step….The reopening of the Corridor of infinite possibilities…invaluable gift for Nanak naam levas …may the corridor of the Great Guru remain open eternally to shower blessings on one an all….Sarbat da bhala". The reopening of the Kartarpur corridor is perceived as an important gesture by the Centre ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly election.  

What is the Kartarpur corridor? 

The Kartarpur corridor is a route linking Darbara Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan’s Kartarpur to Dera Babar Nanak Shrine in Gurdaspur, India. The former is the resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh religion. While the foundation stone for the corridor was laid on both sides of the border in late 2018 keeping in mind the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2020, the agreement between India and Pakistan was stuck owing to the latter’s insistence on charging $20 per pilgrim. Finally, the Kartarpur corridor was inaugurated on November 9, 2019.