NEW DELHI: India on Friday shut a special corridor to the Pakistan-based shrine of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion.

The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, opened in 2019, is a unique point on the border between India and Pakistan. It links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, to the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.

The visa-free 4.7-kilometre-long corridor provides Sikh pilgrims the chance to visit one of their holiest sites without having to obtain special visas.

Amid the escalation of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor service has been suspended until further notice.

According to Dawn’s correspondent in Narowal, the Indian side had shut the gate to the corridor on May 7, and it has not been operational since then.

In response, the Pakistan side has also remained closed.

Meanwhile, calls have come from the US, China and Russia for both sides to pull back from a fraught standoff, with residents of India-held Kashmir also joining the chorus.

Prominent leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has also lent his voice to the call for peace. After not being allowed to address the Friday congregation in Srinagar, he said that the brunt of the pain from the conflict was being experienced by Kashmiris.

“As the threat of war intensifies and the loss of precious lives continues, deep sorrow and anxiety grip our hearts,” Mirwaiz said.

“Unfortunately, whenever tensions rise between India and Pakistan, the brunt which follows is primarily borne by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Across the LoC, people are suffering immense hardships, as the loss of their lives, shelter and livelihood is seen only as collateral damage. I urge both the countries to urgently de-escalate and not to tread on this dangerous path, which can only lead to destruction.”

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025