The South Asia Collective (SAC) welcomes the opening of the historic Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan. The SAC, a collective of South Asian human rights activists and civil society organisations, believes that the opening of the Corridor is an important step in the right direction to realise their own dream of a peaceful and caring South Asia.

As the final resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, Kartarpur holds a special place in the hearts of Sikhs across the world, including 24 million in neighbouring India. However, over seven decades of distrust between India and Pakistan following the bloody Partition of 1947 had denied the Sikhs the right to visit one of the holiest sites in their religion. Just days ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the governments of India and Pakistan have come together and made this possible once again.

The Corridor, a 9 km stretch that connects the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal district to the Dera Baba Sahib in India’s Gurdaspur district, will, for the first time in the two nations’ independent history, allow around 5000 Sikh devotees to visit the holy shrine every day without a visa. The inaugural batch of visitors will be formally seen off by the Indian prime minister on one side, and received by the Pakistani prime minister on the other. On a day that marks a clear departure from a time when the Sikhs were forced to depend on binoculars and telescopes to catch a clear glimpse of the shrine, Indians and Pakistanis of all faiths have reason to share in their joy.

It is not lost on us that this positive development has come at a time when relations between the two nations are perhaps at the lowest in decades. Religious minorities, including Sikhs, continue to face discrimination in both India and Pakistan. There are accusations of sinister political machinations being the reason behind the endeavour. However, the Corridor remains a rare example of the governments of the two countries prioritising centuries-old shared history over an arbitrary border that was drawn only 72 years ago. At the very least, the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is a testament to what is possible if Indians and Pakistanis come together. As such, it is an occasion on which even the skeptics are allowed to hope.

The governments of India and Pakistan both deserve commendations, but it is imperative that this event marks an end to recent tensions that have had adverse ramifications across the region. All measures that restrict people-to-people relations must be rolled back immediately, and state actors in both nations must agree to resume formal talks in good faith. Only then can the dream of lasting peace in South Asia become a reality.

On behalf of SAC members, including: