New Delhi, July 31:
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the agreement between India and Pakistan to facilitate pilgrims’ visits to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur was signed on October 24, 2019, to fulfil the long-standing demand of devotees for visa-free access to the revered Sikh shrineThe Central Government on Friday informed Parliament that the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor will remain suspended due to the prevailing security situation following the Pahalgam terror attack, despite receiving representations from Sikh religious organisations seeking the resumption of the pilgrimage route. in Pakistan.
The minister noted that the agreement, which was extended for another five years in October 2024, enabled the operationalisation of the corridor during the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
However, he said the services of the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor were suspended with effect from May 7, 2025, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
“While the Government has received representations from Sikh religious groups and organisations regarding Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, the extant security scenario compels Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to remain suspended,” the minister stated.
The reply came in response to questions regarding the status of the corridor and whether the government had received requests from Sikh organisations to reopen it.
The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal district, one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines where Guru Nanak Dev spent the final years of his life.
The corridor was suspended after heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, and the government has maintained that security considerations continue to outweigh calls for its reopening.
