Pakistan urges India to reopen Kartarpur Corridor for pilgrims:

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Why in the news?

Recently, Pakistan urged India to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor from its side and allow Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy site for the upcoming Guru Nanak Dev's birthday celebrations.

• India "is yet to open the corridor from its side and allow pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib,”
• India and around the world devotees are excited” for the upcoming Guru Nanak Dev’s Birthday celebrations from 17-26 November.

Kartarpur Corridor

• The Kartarpur corridor connects the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Narowal district of Pakistan with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India’s Punjab province.
• The Kartarpur Corridor was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the eve of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on November 9, 2019.
• The 4 km-long Kartarpur Corridor provides visa free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev lived and died at this gurdwara at the start of the 16th century.

Guru Nanak:

• Born in 1469 in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan
• He firmly repudiated practices of religions around him like sacrifices, ritual baths, idol worship, austerities, and scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
• Guru Nanak opined that moral principles have great value not just in thinking but also in practical orientation in society. Therefore, social philosophy of Guru Nanak was primarily based on moral philosophy with support of religious outlook.
• He set up rules for congregational worship (sangat) involving collective recitation.
• He appointed Angad to succeed him as the Guru.
• Kartarpur gurudwara is the revered shrine about 4km across the border where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.
• Fifth Guru Arjandev Ji compiled Guru Nanak, His successor, and other religious poets teaching in Adi Granth Sahib.