Navjot Singh Sidhu arrives in Kartarpur

Former Indian cricketer-turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived in Kartarpur on Saturday to participate in birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak.

He arrived here via Kartarpur Corridor. Speaking to the media, Navjot Singh Sidhu said he was delighted at his arrival in Kartarpur. I have come to the door of Baba Guru Nanak to beg for peace, he said.

His visit comes two days after the chief minister of Indian Punjab, Charanjit Singh Chann and his cabinet members visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur and performed religious rituals.

Indian authorities earlier this week announced to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor on the eve of the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Pakistan in a good will gesture already opened the Kartarpur Corridor and taken special measures to facilitate the pilgrims arriving in the country.

The Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free crossing, allows Indian Sikhs to visit the temple in Pakistan where Guru Nanak died in 1539AD. It was first opened in 2019 on Baba Nanaks 550th birth anniversary.

Pakistan upgraded the facilities to allow the complex to accommodate more pilgrims. The white-domed shrine in small town of Kartarpur, is just four kilometres (2.5 miles) inside Pakistan.