Source: Ministry of External Affairs briefing and SGPC delegation reports, carried by Republic World and Webindia123, August 19, 2026.
The Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, the visa-free passage that lets Sikh pilgrims from India cross into Pakistan to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, remains suspended more than a year after it was shut following the Pahalgam terror attack in May 2025. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed on August 19 that "Kartarpur corridor services continue to remain suspended" because of "the extant security situation," giving no timeline for reopening.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami led a delegation to meet Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, to press the case for pilgrims. The SGPC told the diplomat that more than 7,500 devotees have already submitted their passports for the yatra, against a normal annual quota of roughly 1,800 visas, and asked for special arrangements so all applicants can travel in time for the Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji this November.
For Sangat in Jagraon and across Ludhiana district, the corridor's closure is felt personally: many families here have parents or grandparents who once crossed for a single day's darshan at Kartarpur Sahib, and local gurdwara committees say dozens of local applicants are among those still waiting on their passports. Community elders in Jagraon say they continue praying for an early resolution so pilgrims can once again bow before Guru Nanak Dev Ji's final resting place ahead of Gurpurab.
