Guru Nanak Jayanti: India to celebrate 551st birth anniversary of Sikh leader by reopening Kartarpur Corridor

21-Nov-2020

The Central government is planning to reopen the Kartarpur corridor from November 27, which will mark the 551st Guru Nanak Jayanti, confirmed former Union Minister Vijay Sampla on Saturday. The 4.7-kilometre-long passage that connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India's Gurdaspur and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur was closed by the govt due to COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Confirming the government's decision to reopen the corridor for devotees, Vijay Sampla took to his official Twitter handle saying, "The big decision of the Government of India, Shri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor will reopen on November 27 on the 551st Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji." The development has come days after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had announced that the decision to open the Kartarpur Corridor would be taken as per the COVID-19 protocol. Speaking at the weekly virtual briefing, Anurag Srivastava, MEA Spokesperson, said that the Kartarpur Corridor was closed due to COVID-19 protocol and it will be reopened after consultation with all the concerned authorities. "The decision to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor will be in line with COVID19 protocol. We are in touch with all the concerned authorities," said Srivastava. Earlier on October 2, the Pakistan government had announced the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor, which was inaugurated last year. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kartarpur Corridor was shut down by the Indian government in March. The Pakistan government had also imposed a ban on Pakistani nationals from travelling via the Kartarpur corridor. It was reopened briefly in June to commemorate Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary, with India rejecting Pakistan's offer and refusing to open the corridor on its side.