Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the acting Akal Takht jathedar, has sought the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor that facilitates Indian Sikh devotees’ pilgrimage to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.

The corridor has remained shut since May 7, when the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22. (HT file photo) The corridor has remained shut since May 7, when the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22. (HT file photo)

The corridor has remained shut since May 7, when the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22.

Gargaj said ahead of the “Jyoti Jot Diwas” (death anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev in September, reopening the Kartarpur Corridor would allow the “sangat” (congregation) to pay obeisance at the sacred religious site.

In a statement issued here, Gargaj called upon the Centre to take swift action to reopen the corridor.

The Kartarpur Corridor was opened during the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the Sikh community to access one of their holiest shrines without a visa.

The 4.7-km passage connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India’s Gurdaspur and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur, believed to be the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev.

“However, due to recent tensions between the two nations, the corridor was closed. The Sikh community and Punjabis have been urging the government to reopen it soon,” Gargaj said.

Stating that Punjabis were still enduring the anguish of Partition, Gargaj said such division and bloodshed should never occur anywhere in the world again.

He said in remembrance of all Punjabis who were killed in 1947, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has been organising “ardas” (Sikh prayer) at the Akal Takht.

He said in 1947, Punjabis, especially Sikhs, on the western side of Punjab, were forced to leave behind their precious and fertile lands due to Partition. They also endured the pain of losing over 200 religious places, including the sacred birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Gargaj said.