In the wake of India’s decisive military action under Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, authorities temporarily shut down the Kartarpur corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district on Wednesday.
The Kartarpur corridor, a vital religious route inaugurated on November 9, 2019, connects India’s Dera Baba Nanak shrine with the revered Darbar Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan — the final resting place of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak Dev. It facilitates visa-free travel for up to 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily. However, officials announced its closure for the day as a precautionary measure due to heightened security concerns following the early-morning missile strikes.
“Pilgrims will not be allowed to cross over to visit the Darbar Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan today,” a senior official stated, underscoring the strict security protocols currently in place. Despite the notice, several pilgrims reportedly arrived at the corridor early in the morning, hoping to offer prayers, but were turned away by authorities.
The shutdown comes shortly after India carried out coordinated missile strikes on nine terror camps, including Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammad’s headquarters in Bahawalpur. These strikes were executed two weeks after the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
While the closure of the Kartarpur corridor is being described as temporary, officials have yet to confirm when regular pilgrimage services will resume.
