Kartarpur pilgrims to get 'free buses', promises Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi 

As the Kartarpur Sahib passageway which leads to one of holiest Sikh sites, reopened on Wednesday, November 17, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi announced that free buses will be provided to the pilgrims. Punjab CM tweeted on Thursday, November 18, that devotees who will be visiting the holy place from across the state will avail the free bus service. He also extended his gratitude to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for reopening the corridor.

Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi tweeted:

While visiting the Kartarpur Corridor, CM Channi stated, "Feeling extremely blessed to get an opportunity to pay obeisance at Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan to commemorate 552nd Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Praying for ‘Chardi Kala’ & ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’. Lets follow Guru ji’s teachings of love, peace, secularism and brotherhood."

India reopens Kartarpur Corridor

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, November 16 announced that the Centre has decided to reopen the Kartarpur corridor, the most revered shrine of Sikhs located in Pakistan. 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.

The Centre's decision holds significance as nation is all set to mark the Prakash Utsav of Guru Nanak Dev on Friday, November 19. The reopening of the Kartarpur corridor will assist thousands of devotees, mostly Sikhs, to visit the final resting place of Guru Nanak in Pakistan.

About Kartarpur Corridor

The Kartarpur corridor is a route linking Darbara Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan’s Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev to Dera Babar Nanak Shrine in Gurdaspur, India. 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 made owing to the latter’s insistence on charging $20 per pilgrim. Finally, the Kartarpur corridor was inaugurated on November 9, 2019. The reopening of the Kartarpur corridor is perceived as an important gesture by the Centre ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly election.