Ready to open Kartarpur Corridor from June 29: Pakistan tells India

New Delhi, June 27: Pakistan on Saturday conveyed to India that it was ready to reopen the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib for Sikh pilgrims on June 29, to commemorate Maharaja Ranjit Singh death anniversary.

Making the announcement, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Islamabad is ready to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on June 29 in commemoration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a valiant lead of the Sikh empire from the 18th Century.

"As places of worship open up across the world, Pakistan prepares to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for all Sikh pilgrims, conveying to the Indian side our readiness to reopen the corridor on 29 June 2020, the occasion of the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh," Qureshi said on Twitter.

Sikhs celebrate Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary on June 27 (today).

The corridor was shut in March this year as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the corridor connecting Dera Baba Nanak in India's Punjab with the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan.

Indian pilgrims of all faiths are allowed to undertake round the year visa-free travel to the historic gurdwara, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.

Meanwhile, in April, parts of the shrine were damaged in a storm and several domes built atop the outer perimeter walls of the complex had collapsed. At least eight domes of the newly renovated Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib fell apart due to a thunderstorm, reported news agency PTI.

However, the Pakistan government has claimed that it has repaired "the damage caused by winds and rains at Kartarpur Sahib within hours."