Demands grow for Kartarpur corridor reopening

NEW DELHI: In light of the ceasefire reached between Pakistan and India last week after days of hostilities, demands are growing in India to reopen the Kartarpur corridor to allow devotees to visit the shrine of Guru Nanak in Pakistan, reports said on Sunday.

The demands gain heft from the permission granted to truckers, carrying perishables from Afghanistan, to cross into India from Pakistan via Wagah. After the Pahalgam attack, India shut down the Wagah-Attari border crossing, a move reciprocated by Pakistan.

The officiating Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, also joined the calls, urging the governments of India and Pakistan to reopen the Kartarpur corridor, especially now that the “atmosphere between the two countries is becoming more peaceful”.

Sikhs pray daily for open access to the gurdwaras from which they were separated, and therefore, keeping the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor closed is not justified, he said, adding that the corridor would further contribute to peace and harmony between the two nations and strengthen mutual ties.

New Delhi allows trucks from Afghanistan carrying perishable items to enter country via Wagah

Since its inauguration in 2019, a large number of Sikh devotees have been visiting the holy site in Narowal, where they bow in reverence and receive the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Hence, reopening the corridor without delay would reflect and honour the sentiments of the Sikh community.

According to Jathedar Gargajj, both nations — and the region as a whole — are in greater need of peace, progress, mutual love, and cooperation, rather than tension and conflict. He praised those national and international leaders who played a wise and compassionate role in defusing the war-like situation and promoting calm.

A separate report in Indian newspaper The Hindustan Times said the ceasefire between India and Pakistan brought renewed hope to Indian devotees, eager to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak.

Although Pakistan continued to keep its side of the corridor open, India suspended the pilgrimage on May 7. Approximately 150 Sikh pilgrims, who had arrived at the Dera Baba Nanak Integrated Check Post in India’s Gurdaspur district, were turned back after waiting over 90 minutes, as the corridor was abruptly shut after tensions rose due to the Pahalgam attack.

Nevertheless, the Sikh community remains optimistic.

Dera Baba Nanak resident Baba Sukhdeep Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak, echoed this sentiment: “The recent hostilities cast a shadow over the future of the corridor. This ceasefire is welcome news for us. We struggled for many years to see this corridor become a reality.”

The Kartarpur corridor was jointly inaugurated by the Pakistan and Indian prime ministers on November 9, 2019. It grants Indian pilgrims visa-free, dawn-to-dusk access to the revered shrine. Stretching 4.7 km, it connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India’s Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.

Wagah-Attari border

While the Kartarpur corridor remains shut, the Indian government has allowed the entry of freight trucks from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan into India through the Wagah-Attari border.

Official sources said the Afghan authorities had requested the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to facilitate 162 freight trucks stuck in Pakistan due to the border closure.

“In this regard, it is intimated that the Government of India has given necessary permission to allow the aforementioned 162 trucks into India through the Wagah-Attari Border. It is further intimated that Indian Customs have made necessary arrangements to facilitate the movement of cargo in aforesaid 162 trucks,” an official document revealed.

Mukesh Sidhwani, a dry fruit trader from Amritsar, welcomed the development. “The trucks have started crossing over. So far, five trucks have crossed. This is a huge relief. The goods are semi-perishable, and every day’s delay translates into massive losses,” the report quoted him as saying.

Nearly 90 per cent of India’s trade with Afghanistan is routed through the Attari-Wagah border, which is also the only land link allowed for trade between India and Pakistan. The development came a few days after Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held his first-ever conversation with Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and underlined India’s friendship with the Afghan people and its support for their development needs.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2025