Pakistan prepared to reopen Kartarpur corridor from Monday
28 June, 2020
Pakistan has conveyed its readiness to India to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor on Monday on the occasion of the death anniversary of Sikh guru Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, the Foreign Workplace said on Saturday, above three months after it was temporarily closed as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
India temporarily suspended the pilgrimage and registration for the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara found in Pakistan on March 16 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
As the religious places are steadily opening up all over the world, Pakistan has also made necessary arrangements to reopen Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Sikh pilgrims, the FO explained.
To ensure adherence to medical rules, Pakistan has invited India to work through necessary SOPs (Standard Operating Types of procedures) for the reopening of the corridor, it said.
In November this past year, both countries threw available the corridor linking Dera Baba Sahib in Gurdaspur in India and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, in a historic people-to-people initiative.
Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is found in Pakistan's Narowal district over the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It's the final resting host to Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev, who possessed spent the last 18 years of his existence in Kartarpur.
Indian pilgrims of most faiths are allowed to undertake round the year visa-free travel to the historic gurdwara.
The FO said that the Kartarpur Corridor is a true symbol of peace and religious harmony which landmark initiative by Pakistan has been immensely appreciated by the Sikh community worldwide, including India.
The relations between India and Pakistan nosedived after India scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's specialized status on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into several union territories. Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India and expelled the Indian Superior Commissioner.
On Tuesday, India told Pakistan to slash its embassy personnel in New Delhi by 50 percent - saying it could conduct the same in Islamabad amidst allegations of spying.
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