Pakistani has extended an invitation to Indian Sikhs to attend the 551st birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. The three-day celebrations of this festival, known as Guru Nanak Gurpurab, is set to begin on November 27. The invitations are to attend the festivities at the Nankana Sahib. The Abandoned Waqf Property Board and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) have also sent regular invitations and itineraries to various Sikh societies, including the Shiromani Committee of India, for attending the festivities.
Indian pilgrims are to be granted a 5-day visa to attend these festivities, and that a mandatory COVID-19 negative test result is to be produced in order to do so. The visa will effectively expire on 2nd December.
It is to be noted that these festivities are an annual occurrence, and hundreds of Sikh pilgrims from different parts of the world gather at the Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, which is considered to be the birthplace of Guru Nanak, to celebrate his birth anniversary. Since the coronavirus pandemic has taken over the world, there were apprehensions to attend the festivities as usual. Unlike the usual norm, this year, they will only be permitted to attend the events taking place at the Nankana Sahib, and are expected to leave Lahore as soon as the visa expires. They will not be allowed to go to other gurdwaras like the Kartarpur Sahib.
India has said a decision to re-open the Kartarpur corridor would be taken in accordance with the protocols relating COVID-19 and easing of restrictions. The corridor links Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur in India to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan – the final resting place of Guru Nanak.