ISLAMABAD: The Indian government has finally announced to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor on November 17 following the widespread demand from Sikhs as they get ready to celebrate Baba Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary.
Sikh members of Indian Parliament from the BJP had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open the Kartarpur Corridor, according to the Indian media.
A delegation comprising the Punjab BJP led by president Ashwani Sharma called on Modi Sunday and made an appeal to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor by Gurpurab. Meanwhile, all Sikh organisations across India also asked the government to reopen the corridor, according to sources.
“In a major decision, that will benefit large numbers of Sikh pilgrims, PM @Narendramodi govt has decided to re-open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor from tomorrow, Nov 17,” Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah wrote on Twitter.
He hoped the government’s decision to reopen the corridor will further boost the joy and happiness across the country.
Citing the worsening COVID-19 situation, India had closed the visa-free corridor on March 16, 2020 after imposing strict travel restrictions. Sikh later asserted that the pandemic situation had eased considerably – enough for Sikh pilgrims to get free travel access to Kartarpur Sahib.
The Sikhs in India also gave a deadline of November 19 to the government to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor. They also formed a Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Sangarash Committee (SKSCSC), which had announced to take its movement for the cause to international platforms if the demand was not met by November 19.
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