Key Indian politicians, including Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, have arrived in Pakistan to visit the Kartarpur on the occasion of the 552nd birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. The CM and his cabinet are among the first ‘jatha’ (delegation) to visit Sikhism’s holy site after the Kartarpur Corridor opened following 20 months of closure due to Covid restrictions.
Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu and Indian Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa will likely visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the coming days.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi welcomed those visiting Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor on the festive occasion. In a message issued on Twitter, the foreign minister wrote, “We welcome thousands of Sikh Yatrees from India…May Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s message of peace & harmony prevail”. FM Qureshi added that the Kartarpur corridor had been re-opened by Pakistan three months after it was closed in March 2020 but India had decided to keep the corridor closed for nearly 20 months.
As ceremonies to mark the 552nd birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji begin today at Darbar Kartarpur Sahib, we welcome thousands of Sikh Yatrees from India, Afghanistan, US, UK, Canada and beyond to Pakistan. May Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s message of peace & harmony prevail.
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) November 17, 2021
On Wednesday the Indian government had decided to reopen the Kartarpur corridor, which connects the Dera Nanak Sahib Gurudwara on the Indian side of the border with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib on the Pakistani side. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah announced the opening of the corridor on Twitter. Shah wrote that “This decision reflects the immense reverence of the Modi government towards Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji and our Sikh community”.
Gurpurab is the most important festival for the followers of Sikhism. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev. The visitors will pay homage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
