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.
Pakistan to reopen Kartarpur Corridor on Monday — FM Qureshi
https://arab.news/mbcsx
Pakistan to reopen Kartarpur Corridor on Monday — FM Qureshi
- Sikhs express happiness on the decision, urge India to respond positively to the development
- The corridor was shut down in March 2020 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
