LAHORE:
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, temporarily closed during recent heavy rains and floods, will open again from Saturday (tomorrow).
According to the Kartarpur Project Management Unit (KPMU), heavy rains and subsequent floods had caused waterlogging within the facilities, which led to the closure of precaution of the sanctuary.
The authorities confirmed that after extensive cleaning and repair works, the Gurdwara is now ready to welcome visitors again. Initially, however, the entrance will be limited to families only to avoid overcrowding and guarantee facilitation without problems by staff.
Despite the reopening, the Sij pilgrims in India are still unable to travel through the Kartarpur corridor, since the Indian government has not yet allowed its citizens to travel on this route. This restriction has caused disappointment among SIJs in India and worldwide.
The development is presented just before the anniversary of the death of Baba Guru Nanak, scheduled for September 22, which annually attracts thousands of Sijs devotees. This year, Indian pilgrims will not be able to attend the anniversary. According to the Parbandhak committee of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara (PSGPC), a large number of Pakistani Sijs will participate, along with pilgrims from countries such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Federal Secretary of Religious Affairs and Interreligious Harmony, Dr. Atta-Ur-Rehman; President of the Evacuee Trust (ETPB), Dr. Sajid Mehmood Chauhan Board; President of PSGPC, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora; and the additional secretary Nasir Mushtaq is scheduled to hold a press conference on Saturday. They are expected to inform the preparations made for the anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the restoration efforts after the flood in Kartarpur and Pakistan’s concerns about India’s restrictions on the Sijs pilgrims.
It is worth mentioning that the Kartarpur corridor and the expanded Gurdwara complex were inaugurated in 2019, allowing the Sij pilgrims of India to visit Darbar Sahib through the Kartarpur corridor without visa and return the same day. However, after high tensions between Pakistan and India, New Delhi suspended the use of the corridor for its citizens, a prohibition that continues to this day.
