Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to remain shut over security concerns, says govt

The Centre on Friday said the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor will continue to remain shut, citing the prevailing security situation in the aftermath of the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, even as it acknowledged receiving representations from Sikh religious groups and organisations seeking its early reopening.

Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the "extant security scenario compels the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to remain closed".

The visa-free corridor connecting Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, was closed with effect from May 7, 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack and the sharp deterioration in the India-Pakistan ties.

The minister said the government had received representations from Sikh religious groups and organisations regarding the reopening of the corridor, which holds immense religious significance for the Sikh community. However, he indicated that security considerations continue to outweigh calls for its resumption.

The Centre also recalled that India and Pakistan had signed the Kartarpur Corridor Agreement on October 24, 2019, to facilitate visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, fulfilling a long-standing demand of devotees and operationalising the corridor ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

The agreement was extended for another five years in October 2024.

The government did not indicate any timeline for reopening the corridor or any fresh diplomatic engagement with Pakistan on the issue, suggesting that restoration of the pilgrimage route would depend on an improvement in the overall security environment.

Last year, the Centre had allowed Sikh jathas to visit Pakistan for Guru Nanak's Prakash Purab celebrations under the 1974 India-Pakistan Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, even as the Kartarpur Corridor remained shut.

Those visits were allowed only through government-approved groups after multi-layered security vetting, unlike the visa-free Kartarpur route, which continues to remain suspended.