Kartarpur corridor reopens for pilgrims

Amritsar (Punjab): A jatha of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will cross over to Pakistan to pay obeisance to the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib and other Gurudwaras through the Kartarpur corridor that reopened today.

“We are going on a nine-day trip. We will be visiting Kartar Pur Sahib, Nankana Sahib, Dera Sacha Sauda, Dera sahib,” said Gruvinder Singh, a pilgrim.

“We are very happy. We are very grateful to the government for opening the Gurudwara,” said another pilgrim.

Meanwhile, the locals of Dera Baba Nanak of Punjab’s Gurdaspur welcomed the government’s move to reopen the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrimage.

Punjab: #KartarpurSahibCorridor reopens from today. A jatha at Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) ready to cross over to Pakistan to pay obeisance.

Visuals from Amritsar. pic.twitter.com/5eTyYO7tdg

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2021

“It is a welcome step. People have been eagerly waiting to offer prayers at the shrine (Gurdwara Darbar Sahib),” Triclochan Singh, a local resident of Dera Baba Nanak told ANI.

“Due to COVID -19, it was closed. We wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the government. The whole Punjab and India are extremely happy after its opening,” said Ashwini Kumar, a local resident.

“We were very hopeful that the Modi government would soon open the corridor. We are grateful to the Prime Minister for taking this step, ” said Sudhir Bedi, a local resident.

Meanwhile, Land Ports Authority of India welcomed the move to reopen the corridor.

“First two pilgrims given warm send-off at ICP gate by the Manager ICP. The pilgrimage to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib through Kartarpur Corridor formally commences today. Gurudwara Prabandhak Samiti welcomed them across the border,” tweeted the Land Ports Authority of India on Wednesday.

The corridor was shut in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The visa-free 4.7-kilometre long corridor joins the Indian border to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. It became operational in 2019. Notably, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of Punjab recently met PM Modi and requested the reopening of the corridor.

Punjab: Ahead of the reopening of Kartarpur Corridor, which is scheduled for today, locals welcome government’s move to resume operations.

“It’s a welcome step. People have been eagerly waiting to offer prayers at the shrine (Gurdwara Darbar Sahib),” says Triclochan Singh pic.twitter.com/kP3UxBMV2A

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2021