Jathedar urges India and Pak govt’s to open Kartarpur Corridor

Amritsar: Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, the officiating jathedar of the Akal Takht, has asked the govts of India and Pakistan to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor to Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, which has remained closed for nearly a year.The closure of the Corridor has deprived the Sikh devotees of the opportunity to visit the sacred shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev, said the jathedar.He asked both govts to respect Sikh sentiments and reopen the Kartarpur Corridor at the earliest so that devotees could once again pay obeisance at the Guru's abode.The jathedar added that the entire Guru Khalsa Panth prays daily for unrestricted access to Sikh Gurdhams separated during Partition. He expressed hope that the Sikh community's prayers regarding the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor would soon be fulfilled.While welcoming the Sikh pilgrims' jatha scheduled to leave for Pakistan on June 10 to pay obeisance at Sikh Gurdhams (religious places) on the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev after a gap of 14 years, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj expressed gratitude to the govts of India and Pakistan for facilitating the visit.He said that under the 1974 agreement between the two countries, four Sikh jathas travel annually to Pakistan for pilgrimage to Sikh Gurdhams. However, the last jatha to visit Pakistan on the martyrdom anniversary of the 5th Sikh Guru had travelled in June 2013."Since Guru Arjan Dev attained martyrdom in Lahore, it is essential for the entire Khalsa Panth to gather there every year on the Guru's martyrdom anniversary and pay homage through Gurmat programmes and religious congregations," said the Jathedar.