New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and some of his Cabinet ministers on Thursday offered prayers at the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan after they reached the holy shrine through the visa-free Kartarpur corridor that reopened for pilgrims after a gap of 20 months.
The Kartarpur corridor, which is over four km long, links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur, the final resting place of the founder of Sikh religion Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district. Pilgrimage was suspended in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Punjab CM Charanjit Channi was accompanied by his family members, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, PWD Minister Vijay Inder Singla, MLAs Harpartap Singh Ajnala, and Barindermeet Singh Pahra, news agency PTI reported
The Chief Minister took to Twitter and wrote: “Feeling extremely blessed to get an opportunity to pay obeisance at Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan to commemorate 552nd Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Praying for ‘Chardi Kala’ & ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’. Lets follow Guru ji’s teachings of love, peace, secularism & brotherhood”.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan, he further announced that the Punjab government will run free buses for pilgrims to Kartarpur corridor from across the state.
The Charanjit Channi-led ‘jatha’ (group) had crossed over to Pakistan at around 1 pm, PTI reported officials in Dera Baba Nanak as saying.
The Punjab Chief Minister earlier described the reopening of Kartarpur Sahib corridor as a historic moment and called it a joyous occasion as it has facilitated numerous devotees to go to Kartarpur Sahib.
“The long-pending ‘ardaas’ of Sikh Sangat has been fulfilled and now they can offer prayers at this holy shrine without any hindrance,” said CM Channi, as quoted by PTI.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu was not part of this group.
Navjot Sidhu’s media advisor Surinder Dalla had on Wednesday night said that the Congress leader was officially intimated that he could go on November 20 instead of November 18.
The first batch of 28 Indian Sikhs, including women, visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan on Wednesday by using the corridor on the first day of its reopening.
Talking to reporters in Gurdaspur district before going to Kartarpur Sahib, PWD Minister Vijay Inder Singla said that Centre has given permission for travelling to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to ministers and MLAs in a phased manner.
Earlier on Thursday morning, a 21-member delegation of Punjab BJP leaders had reached the integrated check post at Dera Baba Nanak to cross over to Pakistan.
Punjab BJP head Ashwani Sharma said that he was thankful to the prime minister and the home minister for reopening the Kartarpur corridor to allow devotees to offer prayers ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, PTI reported.
The Union government had decided to reopen the Kartarpur corridor from Wednesday ahead of Gurpurab, which marks the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, on November 19.