The Kartarpur Sahib corridor reopens from November 17, 2021. The first Jatha (batch) of pilgrims at Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is ready to cross over to Pakistan to visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib to pay their obeisance. The move comes days ahead of Gurupurab which is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on November 19. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the decision a reflection of the Modi government’s immense reverence for Guru Nanak Dev and the Sikh community.
Also read: Government decides to reopen Kartarpur Sahib Corridor from November 17, to benefit Sikh Pilgrims
Why in news?The Union Government has announced the re-opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor from November 17, 2021. The corridor was shut in March 2020 just four months after it was inaugurated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kartarpur corridor will be reopened with COVID-19 restrictions in place including RT-PCR tests within 72 hours, social distancing, double vaccination, and a restricted number of visitors. |
Punjab: #KartarpurSahibCorridor reopens from today. A jatha at Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) ready to cross over to Pakistan to pay obeisance.
— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2021
Visuals from Amritsar. pic.twitter.com/5eTyYO7tdg
Reopening of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor: Significance
The decision of the government to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib corridor will benefit several Sikh pilgrims ahead of Gurupurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on November 19. The nation is all set for celebrating the Prakash Utsav of Guru Nanak Dev on November 19. The Sikh pilgrims from India will be able to visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border through the visa-free corridor.
Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Registration Process |
| Step 1: Visit https://prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in/kpr/ on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs Step 2: Read instructions for Filling Registration Step 3: Click ‘Apply Online’ on the top panel of the website Step 4: Select the date of journey and nationality. Press continue. Step 5: Fill ‘Part A’ of the Kartarpur Corridor Registration form. Click save and continue. Step 6: After completing the registration, you will get a registration number and a PDF copy of the filled registration form. Keep the registration number for use. Step 7: An SMS and email will be sent on the registered mobile number and email ID 3-4 days before the scheduled journey. It will have the confirmation of registration. |
What is Kartarpur Sahib Corridor?
History
The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor was inaugurated on Gurupurab in November 2019. The 4.7-km long corridor It is a rare visa-free corridor that allows pilgrims from India to visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border. The Gurudwara is believed to be one of the holiest places in Sikhism and the final resting place of Guru Nanak.
On October 24, 2019, India and Pakistan signed an agreement for the operationalization of the Kartarpur Corridor at Zero Point, International Boundary, Dera Baba Nanak. The Kartarpur corridor is also called a peace corridor between India and Pakistan. PM Narendra Modi compared the opening of the corridor between two countries with the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 stating the corridor would aid in easing tensions between the two countries.
On November 9, 2019, the Kartarpur corridor was opened ahead of the Guru Nanak’s 550th Prakash Purab celebrations to connect Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan with Darbar Sahib Dera Baba Nanak in India. The first Jatha (batch) comprising more than 550 pilgrims traveled to the final resting place of Guru Nanak.
Between November 2019 and February 2020, around 45,000 pilgrims have traveled through the Kartarpur Corridor to the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.
Significance of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor: Religious and Political
Kartarpur Sahib Corridor is the place of most significance in the life of Guru Nanak Dev who had laid the foundations on the banks of the river Ravi. He is believed to have lived with his family during his last days preaching liberation from 1521 to 1539.
However, during the 1947 partition of India, the Radcliff Line gave Kartarpur Sahib to Pakistan territory. For decades, pilgrims had to take a bus via Lahore to reach the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan despite being 4.7 kms away from the India-Pakistan border.
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