Pakistan to reopen Kartarpur Corridor on Monday — FM Qureshi

LAHORE: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday announced Pakistan’s willingness to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor from June 29 and allow Sikh pilgrims to commemorate the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh by visiting one of the holiest shrines in their faith.
Singh ruled a large swathe of territory in the northwestern region of the Indian Subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He is usually regarded as the greatest Sikh ruler of all times since he fought a series of battles to expand his empire and captured several strategic locations in Punjab.
His death anniversary is observed from June 27 to 29, drawing many members of the Sikh community from across the world to Pakistan who want to pay homage to their deceased leader.
“As places of worship open up across the world,” Qureshi wrote in a Twitter post, “Pakistan prepares to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for all Sikh pilgrims, conveying to the Indian side our readiness to reopen the corridor on 29 June 2020, the occasion of the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh.”
Pakistan’s Sikh community has welcomed the announcement, urging the Indian government to give a positive response to the gesture
“The entire Sikh fraternity is happy about the development. We also request the Indian administration to reciprocate and allow members of the Indian Sikh community to visit Kartarpur,” Sardar Satwant Singh, president of Pakistan Gurdawara Parbandhak Committee, told Arab News.
The Evacuee Trust Properties Board (ETPB) said it would take all necessary precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The ETPB will adopt all Standard Operating Procedures prepared by the government while accommodating pilgrims at Kartarpur Sahib. We are ready to welcome Sikh devotees from India on June 29,” Amir Hashmi, a spokesperson of the board, told Arab News.
The Kartarpur Corridor is a 4-kilometer-long visa-free passageway for India’s Sikh pilgrims who desire to visit the final resting place of the founder of their faith, Guru Nanak Dev. It was inaugurated by the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers in November 2019 in their respective countries. The corridor remained functional despite the deteriorating relations between the two South Asian nuclear-armed neighbors until the spread of the new coronvirus this year when it was shut down in March for health safety purposes.
Pakistan’s announcement to reopen the passageway comes hard on the heels of an Indian decision to limit diplomatic relations with its western neighbor by cutting down its embassy staff by half and asking Pakistan to do the same.