Sikhs in India have set November 19 as the deadline for reopening the Kartarpur Corridor.

ISLAMABAD: The Sikh community in India has given their government till November 19 to restore the Kartarpur Corridor, while Pakistan offers visas to 3,000 Sikh pilgrims on the 552nd birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.

“The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has awarded around 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims who wish to attend Baba Guru Nanak’s 552nd birth anniversary celebrations in Pakistan from November 17 to November 26, 2021. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims from other countries will also be travelling Pakistan to attend the ceremony, according to the Pakistan High Commission in India.

However, Sikhs in India have created the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Sangarash Committee (SKSCSC), which has claimed that if the demand is not satisfied by November 19, it would take its case to international venues.

Surinderpal Singh Talibpur, a member of the SKSCSC, told the Indian media that they had created a 13-person committee to urge the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor so that devotees may go to Pakistan and return the same day after paying homage at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Balwinder Singh Pakhoke, another member of the SKSCSC, said they had offered prayers at the international border at Dera Baba Nanak for the restoration of the Kartarpur Corridor as soon as possible.

If the administration refuses to meet our demands, we will expand our movement across the state to put pressure on it,” Pakhoke stated.

Talibpur said that they had gotten a huge reaction from overseas Sikh organisations, who had promised to support the SKSCSC’s cause.

“After November 19, we’ll have a meeting and virtual conversations with our supporters throughout the world to plan our next steps,” he stated.

The Corridor was open from the Pakistani side on Friday, according to a Foreign Office spokeswoman, and India was anticipated to admit Sikh pilgrims who wanted to participate in the impending ceremonies.

In his weekly news briefing, he remarked, “We are all ready to welcome lakhs of devotees from India and throughout the world coming to Pakistan for the impending birth anniversary festivities… for which extensive plans have been put in place.”

The Corridor, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2019, is a shining example of Pakistan’s efforts to foster interfaith cooperation and reflects Pakistan’s priority for religious minorities.

“Today is the second anniversary of the Kartarpur Corridor — a corridor of interfaith cooperation that offers India’s Sikh community privileged access to one of their holy locations,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted on the Corridor’s second anniversary.