Congress’s Balbir Sidhu urges PM Modi to reopen Kartarpur Corridor for Parkash Gurpurab, cites India-Pak match

Balbir Singh Sidhu says reopening the Kartarpur Corridor would not only facilitate the long-awaited pilgrimage but also help strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan.

By: Express News Service

Mohali | September 15, 2025 05:57 PM IST

2 min read

Senior Congress leader and former Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu. (Source: File)

Senior Congress leader and former Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor and permit a Sikh Jatha to visit Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib for Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birth anniversary celebrations.

In a letter to the prime minister, Sidhu wrote on Monday, “Every year, a special group of Sikh pilgrims from India travels to Pakistan in November to celebrate the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, at his birthplace Sri Nankana Sahib.” He recalled that the Kartarpur Corridor, inaugurated in 2019 to honour this deep faith, has remained shut from the Indian side for months following the Pahalgam attack.

Sidhu expressed anguish over the Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision to deny permission for the Sikh Jatha to visit Pakistan, saying it has “deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community”. He alleged double standards on the part of the Central Government. “If security concerns between the two nations are the reason, then how was the BCCI permitted to organize an India-Pakistan cricket match on 14th September?” the Congress leader asked.

The Congress leader urged the Centre to act swiftly, stressing that reopening the corridor would “respect the religious and emotional sentiments of the Sikh community and enable devotees to mark Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Parkash Gurpurab with devotion”.

Sidhu added that the move would not only facilitate the long-awaited pilgrimage but also help strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan.

Sidhu concluded his appeal by requesting the prime minister to “reopen the Kartarpur Corridor at the earliest and allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Sri Nankana Sahib to celebrate Parkash Gurpurab”.

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