Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reopening the Kartarpur Corridor ahead of Guru Nanak Jayanti. Taking to his official handle on Twitter, Singh expressed his “profound gratitude” to the Prime Minister and the Union home minister, Amit Shah, for the ‘timely’ opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. He said that with the re-opening of the Sikh holy site ahead of Guru Parab, thousands of religious devotees will be able to pay their obeisances at the shrine on the day of the occasion.
“My profound gratitude to PM @narendramodi and HM @AmitShah for the timely opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor,” tweeted Captain Amarinder Singh. “It will provide a chance to thousands of devotees to pay obeisance at the holy shrine on the occasion of Guru Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.”
My profound gratitude to PM @narendramodi and HM @AmitShah for the timely opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. It will provide a chance to thousands of devotees to pay obeisance at the holy shrine on the occasion of Guru Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Amarinder Singh had earlier in the day requested Modi to open the Kartarpur Corridor before November 19, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev this year, so that people can pay obeisance at the holy shrine on the sacred occasion. The Union home minister announced later in the day that the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has decided to open the Kartarpur Sahib corridor on Wednesday.
The visa-free 4.7-km corridor connects the Indian border to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. It was shut in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the home minister, the decision to reopen the corridor would benefit a large number of Sikh pilgrims, and that it reflected the reverence of the Modi government towards Guru Nanak and the religious community.
The operations at the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor had been suspended since March 16, 2020, on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier, Amit Shah had held review meetings with officials to expedite the resumption of the operation of the corridor at an opportune time.
Pilgrimage through the Kartarpur Sahib corridor would be facilitated as per existing procedures and adherence to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) protocols.