Continued closure overshadows Kartarpur Corridor’s 6th anniversary

The Kartarpur Corridor will mark its sixth anniversary on Sunday, but there is little hope for its reopening anytime soon.

The corridor, which allows Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, has remained closed since Operation Sindoor in May 2025 due to security concerns. Authorities ordered the closure “till further orders”.

Although India and Pakistan have extended their bilateral agreement on the corridor until 2029, this does not guarantee resumption of passage. Pilgrims who wish to visit the site can only do so via the Attari-Wagah border, and only after obtaining a visa.

The corridor was inaugurated on November 9, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, coinciding with celebrations for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. On the same day, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh led a delegation of VIPs to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.

Located in Dera Baba Nanak, Batala police district, the corridor area also houses a dedicated police station to serve devotees. Among the most notable foreign visitors was Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations and former Prime Minister of Portugal. He crossed the corridor in February 2020 and described it as a “corridor of hope”.