India asks Pakistan to repair damaged domes of shrine in Kartarpur

India has asked Pakistan to fix the construction deficiencies in the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib after the domes of the shrine collapsed during a brief spell of rain and thunderstorm on Friday.

Sources in New Delhi said that India has taken up the issue of the collapse of domes of the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib with Pakistan.

New Delhi conveyed to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government in Islamabad that the damage to the structures in the shrine has caused “great consternation” to the Sikhs.

The Gurdwara by the river Ravi at Kartarpur in Pakistan is revered as among the holiest for the Sikhs as it marks the place where Guru Nanak lived for 18 years and finally breathed his last in 1539. The governments of the two countries last year built a corridor to facilitate travel by the pilgrims from India to the shrine in Pakistan.

The corridor was inaugurated in November 2019. Though Pakistan Government spruced up the historic shrine on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, two domes of a newly-constructed structure could not withstand the stormy winds on Friday.

New Delhi conveyed to Islamabad through a diplomatic channel on Sunday that the “strong sense of faith and devotion” of the Sikhs to the holy shrine must be fully understood and appreciated by the Government of Pakistan.

India has urged Pakistan that in deference to the sentiments of the Sikh community, the deficiencies which led to the damage to the newly constructed structures be urgently rectified and remedied, sources said.