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Pilgrims from India arrive in Pakistan to visit one of the holy shrines of Sikhism for the anniversary celebrations of the birth of the founder of the religion.
Sikh pilgrims have begun arriving in Pakistan to visit one of their holy shrines before the anniversary of the birth of the founder of the religion, after India gave the green light to cross the border.
The Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free crossing that allows Sikhs in India to visit the temple 4 km (2.5 miles) away from Pakistan when Guru Nanak died in 1539, opened in 2019 for the 550th anniversary of Nanak’s birth, but was closed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. .
The corridor connects Pakistan and India’s Punjab, the birthplace of Sikhism, which was divided between the two countries after Britain gained independence in 1947.
The Sikhs are a small minority in Pakistan with a Muslim majority, although many of their religious sites remain there. Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations as they have waged three large-scale wars since independence.
Recognized as a peace corridor, the Kartarpur corridor in eastern Pakistan’s Punjab province was reopened as nuclear-armed rival nations in South Asia reaffirmed a ceasefire agreement in the troubled Kashmir region for months.
Kashmir, a Himalayan territory divided in two between the two countries, but both claimed in its entirety, is one of the most militarized regions in the world.
Sikh pilgrims gesture back from Pakistan’s Gurdwara Darbar Kartarpur Sahib on the anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, in the Kartarpur corridor [Narinder Nanu/AFP]“In an important decision that will benefit many Sikh pilgrims, Prime Minister @narendramodi has decided to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib corridor from tomorrow,” Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
“I’m sure of that [the] The government’s decision to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib corridor will increase joy and happiness across the country, ”Shah added.
Dozens of Sikh men and women from India crossed into Pakistan on the first day of the reopening, said Haji Ashraf, a Pakistani official who received pilgrims on Wednesday.
Sikh pilgrims visit the shrine of Guru Nanak Dev in Kartarpur, Pakistan [File: K M Chaudary/AP]Thousands more were expected to cross the corridor in the coming days to take part in the annual celebration on Friday.
Guru Nana spent the last 18 years of his life in Kartarpur Sahib. Its white-domed sanctuary can be seen from the Indian border.
Sikh pilgrims in India are having a hard time visiting it and have long been calling for road links and travel permits to be eased.
India also opened the Punjab’s Wagah border crossing for Kartarpur’s week-long celebrations.
Indian Border Security Force personnel are on guard at the entrance of the Kartarpur corridor [Narinder Nanu/AFP]
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