COVID-19: Fully vaccinated Indian sikh pilgrims can visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur

The release mentioned that only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter Pakistan via Kartarpur Corridor/Wagah Border (Reuters)

Fully vaccinated Sikh pilgrims can now visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib via the Kartarpur Corridor from next month with keeping Covid protocols intact. This comes ahead of the 482nd death anniversary of Guru Nanak, Sikhism founder, on September 22. The decision was taken by Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to open the Kartarpur shrine on Saturday to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib from Kartarpur Corridor, which remained closed since the pandemic hit the country in March 2020.

The Indian government has yet not reopened the corridor despite several reminders from Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee who repeatedly asked the Centre to do so.

In a meeting of NCOC held on August 10, Asad Umer, federal minister for planning development and special initiatives discussed movements of the Indian Sikh pilgrims via Kartarpur Corridor for religious gathering in Pakistan. Due to the emergence of the Indian Delta variant, the country (India) remained in the ‘Category C’ countries list from May 22 to August 12 21 . Only essential movements were allowed from India to Pakistan through exemptions. In the release it was also mentioned that Kartarpur Corridor was never closed for Indian Sikh pilgrims and that they were visiting Pakistan for religious tourism.

The release further read that in view of the death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Joti Jot) on September 21, Indian Sikh pilgrims were allowed to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur while keeping strict Covid protocols in mind.

Fully vaccinated individuals only!

The release mentioned that only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter Pakistan via Kartarpur Corridor/Wagah Border. They must have a valid vaccination certificate with them. Negative RT-PCR test before travel to Pakistan (maximum 72 hours old) will also be mandatory. The Rapid Antigen Test will be conducted once in Pakistan. In case the individual tests positive, he/she will be returned to India. As per currently enforced Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs), a maximum of 300 individuals is allowed in Pakistan for an outdoor gathering with adherence to strict Covid protocols.