Punjab: Ceasefire ignites hope for Kartarpur Corridor reopening
The ceasefire between India and Pakistan has brought renewed hope to Indian devotees eager to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru nanak, located in Pakistan's Narowal district.
The Kartarpur Corridor — a visa-free passage facilitating access to this historic Sikh shrine — had been closed by Indian authorities following rising tensions between the two neighbours after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Although Pakistan continued to keep its side of the corridor open, India suspended the pilgrimage on until further notice. On the morning of May 7, approximately 150 Sikh pilgrims, who had arrived at the Dera Baba Nanak Integrated Check Post in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, were turned back after waiting over 90 minutes, as the corridor was abruptly shut.
Despite the ceasefire, Indian authorities have yet to announce when the pilgrimage will resume. 'We have not yet received any official communication from the government,' confirmed Gurdaspur deputy commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh.
Nevertheless, the Sikh community remains optimistic. 'The ceasefire is a positive step. We urge the ministry of external affairs to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor — the religious gateway to friendship between India and Pakistan — at the earliest,' said principal (retd) Kulwant Singh Ankhi, a social worker and patron of the Amritsar Vikas Manch.
He highlighted that the corridor was inaugurated in November 2019, on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, after decades of demand from the Sikh community.
Dera Baba Nanak resident Baba Sukhdeep Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak, echoed the sentiment: 'The recent hostilities cast a shadow over the future of the corridor. This ceasefire is welcome news for us. We struggled for many years to see this corridor become a reality.'
Kawaljit Singh, a resident of Kapurthala, shared his personal disappointment at the closure. 'I had been planning this pilgrimage for months. The shutdown made me fear I'd never get the chance. But now, with the ceasefire in place, I hope the corridor reopens soon by God's grace.'
The Kartarpur Corridor, jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 9, 2019, grants Indian pilgrims visa-free, dawn-to-dusk access to the revered shrine. Stretching 4.7 km, it connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India's Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, believed to be the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev.
Although the corridor was temporarily shut during the COVID-19 pandemic, it reopened on November 17, 2021, and the agreement governing its operation was renewed for five more years in 2024.
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