Amritsar

Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, the officiating jathedar of Akal Takht, on Thursday sought the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor, which facilitates devotees to pay obeisance at the historic Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan.

The corridor has remained shut since May 7, when the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22.

Gargaj said that ahead of the 'Jyoti Jot Diwas' of Guru Nanak Dev, reopening the Kartarpur Corridor would allow the 'sangat' (congregation) to pay obeisance at the sacred religious site.

In a statement issued here, Gargaj called upon the Centre to take swift action to reopen the corridor.

The Kartarpur Corridor was opened during the 550th Prakash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, enabling Punjabis from both sides to reunite at the Kartarpur Sahib.

Many Punjabis who were separated at the time of Partition in 1947 got the chance to reunite through the Kartarpur Corridor.

However, due to recent tensions between the two nations, the corridor was closed. The Sikh community and Punjabis have been urging the government to reopen it soon, Gargaj said.

The Kartarpur Corridor links the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.

Stating that Punjabis are still enduring the anguish of Partition, Gargaj said such division and bloodshed should never occur anywhere in the world again.

All Punjabis – Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims – living in this region regard August 1947 as the time of Punjab's devastation and division, he said.

The sorrow of Partition still lingers among Punjabis living across the world, Gargaj said.

He said in remembrance of all Punjabis who were killed in 1947, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has been organising an 'ardas' (Sikh prayer) at the Akal Takht.

This year, the 'Akhand Path Sahib' commenced on August 14, and its conclusion (bhog) will take place on August 16, followed by a collective prayer to pay homage to those killed in 1947.

He said in 1947, Punjabis, especially Sikhs, on the western side of Punjab were forced to leave behind their precious and fertile lands due to Partition.

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They also endured the pain of losing over 200 Sikh 'gurdhams' (religious places), including the sacred birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Gargaj said.