Pakistan invites Jathedar Akal Takht and SGPC chief to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur

New Delhi: Almost thirteen months after the suspension of Kartarpur Sahib pilgrimage via Kartarpur Corridor, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) has extended an official invitation to the Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Harpreet Singh and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib via the Kartarpur Corridor.

PSGPC president Satwant Singh told media on Monday that he had extended an invitation to both the Akal Takht Jathedar and SGPC president for a  pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib via Kartarpur Corridor hoping that the Indian government would reopen the Kartarpur Sahib pilgrimage which was suspended in 2020.

Satwant Singh said that despite the reopening of the pilgrimage via corridor by Pakistan, the Indian government was yet to resume the pilgrimage despite considerable improvement in the Covid 19 situation.

Reacting to the PSGPC's invitation SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur said that SGPC had expressed gratitude towards PSGPC for extending the invitation to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib. She said she was hopeful that Almighty would fulfill the religious aspirations of Sikhs to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and pay obeisance in near future.

Notably, seventy-two years after Indo Pak portion and  unending struggle by  Sikh bodies, Kartarpur corridor was inaugurated on November 9, 2019, to facilitate the visit of followers of Sikhs first master Guru Nanak Dev to travel across the border for paying obeisance at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib,Kartarpur Sahib, in Narowal district of Pakistan. The Sikh’s holy shrine is situated around 4.5 kilometers inside Paksitan  from the international border at Dera Baba Nanak in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

The Indian government website www.prakashpurab550.mha.gov.in  which is used for online booking of the day-long pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, Pakistan reads. "In the wake of  COVID-19 Pandemic, as a precautionary measure to contain and control the spread of the disease, the travel and registration for Sri Kartarpur Sahib is temporarily suspended from March 16, 2020".

However, about seven months after the suspension of pilgrimage, the Pakistan government unilaterally decided on October 2, 2020, for the reopening of their side of Kartarpur corridor.But  India denied reciprocating the gesture due to the prevalent Covid 19 situation.

Pakistan’s insistence on re-opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is also believed to be due to the financial losses incurred by it since along with pilgrimage Pakistan's source of income has also come to a standstill. Pakistan government  has  levied a US $20 service fee on every Indian devotee visiting Kartarpur Sahib via the corridor. 

PSGPC president Satwant Singh said that PSGPC had also welcomed the statement of Bibi Jagir Kaur wherein she had demanded from the Indian government for the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor.

"We fully support their demand and reassures to make all the required arrangements for the Indian devotees in a befitting manner once they resume the pilgrimage via Kartarpur Corridor," he said.
The PSGPC president also claimed that the Covid 19 situation was totally under control in Pakistan and they were looking forward to an early decision from the Indian government to reopen Kartarpur Corridor for the yatree's.

Here pertinent to mention that Pakistan had refused visa to Indian Sikh pilgrims who were willing to travel to neighbouring country to observed sikh religious functions in the moth of June.