Kartarpur Corridor: Charanjit Singh Channi, along with about 30 persons, visited the revered site.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi today thanked the Prime Minister and Home Minister for re-opening the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor - the 4.5 km road to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan - two days ahead of Guru Purab. This move will allow Indian pilgrims to pay their obeisance at one of the holiest shrines of Sikhs on the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.
Mr Channi, along with about 30 persons including his cabinet ministers, visited the revered site using the visa-free Kartarpur corridor on Thursday on the second day of the reopening of the route which was suspended for some 20 months following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Gurudwara Darbar Sahib is the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, he is believed to have spent the last 18 years of his life there. The Kartarpur corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur to Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, a small town in Pakistan's Punjab province, about 4 km from the International Border.
"Feeling extremely blessed to get an opportunity to pay obeisance at Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan to commemorate 552nd Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Praying for 'Chardi Kala' & 'Sarbat Da Bhala'. Let's follow Guru Ji's teachings of love, peace, secularism & brotherhood," the Punjab CM tweeted along with a video wishing everyone on the birth anniversary of the first guru of the Sikhs. He also thanked PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for heeding the Punjab government's request of reopening the corridor.
Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit chief executive officer (CEO) Muhammad Latif, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee office bearers, and Commissioner Gujranwala greeted the Indian guests who arrived here a day before the annual commemoration of the birth of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, news agency PTI reported.
The first batch of 2443 Indian Sikhs, including women, visited the Gurdwara on Wednesday on the first day of its reopening. Pakistan had issued around 3000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims on the eve of the 552nd Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev from November 17-26.
"2443 Indian Sikh Yatrees accorded warm welcome by Pakistan on their arrival at Wagah on 17 November. Pakistan High Commission wishes a rewarding Yatra to the Sikh devotees visiting Pakistan from 17-26 November 2021," Pakistan High Commission in India tweeted.
The Kartarpur Corridor was opened in 2019. It was built to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.