India and Pakistan have extended the visa-free Kartarpur corridor for an additional five years, reaffirming their commitment to allowing Indian Sikhs to visit the sacred Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. This corridor, first opened in 2019, enables pilgrims to make the spiritual journey without needing a visa, promoting religious unity amidst the historical tensions between the two nations. After India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, visited Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, the extension was confirmed.

The Kartarpur corridor holds immense significance for Sikhs as it allows direct access to a site where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, spent his final years. Pakistan’s Foreign Office emphasized the extension as a symbol of interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence. Despite ongoing geopolitical challenges, the corridor remains a rare and powerful example of cooperation between India and Pakistan, offering hope to families divided by the partition.

Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan for the SCO summit did not include formal bilateral discussions but marked a potential thaw in relations. The renewal of the corridor during this diplomatic visit highlights the possibility of small yet meaningful steps toward collaboration, even as broader political disputes remain unresolved. The Kartarpur corridor continues to serve as a "peace corridor," symbolizing hope and reconciliation amidst ongoing political challenges between the two nations.