Pak reopens Kartarpur Corridor

NO VISITOR FROM INDIA Special ‘ardas’ held at Darbar Sahib gurdwara, says Pakistan official

LAHORE : Pakistan on Monday reopened the Kartarpur Corridor more than three months after it was temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but no Indian pilgrim visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, a top official said.

India temporarily suspended the pilgrimage and registration for the Kartarpur Sahibgurdwara in Pakistan on March 16 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Pakistan today opened the Kartarpur Corridor. However, no Indian pilgrim visited it,” said Evacuee Trust Property Board deputy director Imran Khan. The ETPB looks after the holy places of minorities in the country.

He said a “special ardas” was held at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. “Pilgrims from Pakistan and India are allowed to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib by following the SOPs of social distancing. The ETPB and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee have made special arrangements for the safety of pilgrims,” he said.

Earlier, foreign minister Shah

Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan was reopening the Kartarpur corridor for all Sikh pilgrims. “I convey to the Indian side our readiness to reopen the corridor on 29

June 2020, the occasion of the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh,” he said.

New Delhi had said that Pakistan was trying to create a mirage of goodwill by proposing to reopen the corridor. They said India will take a decision on the matter after consulting health authorities and other concerned stakeholders. Officials also wondered why Pakistan had proposed to reopen the shrine at such a short notice while a bilateral agreement on the corridor provided for information to be shared by both sides at least seven days before the date of travel.

The Kartarpur Gurdwara is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across the river Ravi. It is the final resting place of first Sikh master Guru Nanak, who had spent the last 18 years of his life in Kartarpur. Indian pilgrims of all faiths are allowed to undertake round the year visa-free travel to the historic gurdwara.

The relations between India and Pakistan nosedived after India scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into two union territories.

Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India and expelled the Indian high commissioner. On Tuesday, India told Pakistan to slash its embassy staff in New Delhi by half - saying it would do the same in Islamabad amidst allegations of spying