DERA BABA NANAK (GURDASPUR): Several BJP leaders of Punjab on Thursday left for Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan through a visa-free corridor for offering prayers at the shrine dedicated to Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
The Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district. "A BJP delegation is going to pay obeisance at the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara," Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma told reporters before moving towards the integrated check post.
Sharma, who was sporting a turban, said that they were thankful to the prime minister and the home minister for reopening the Kartarpur corridor to allow devotees to offer prayers ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Among party leaders who were part of the BJP 'jatha' (delegation) included Jeevan Gupta, Subhash Sharma and KD Bhandari. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and ministers will also visit the shrine on Thursday.
Twenty-eight devotees on Wednesday had visited the gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan through the Kartarpur corridor. Security men were deployed in strength in and around Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur on Thursday.
The Centre reopened the Kartarpur corridor from Wednesday ahead of Gurpurab, which marks the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, on November 19. Pilgrimage to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.