Gobind Singh, the caretaker of the gurdwara at Kartarpur, said the gurdwara had "remained shut from 1947 to 2000".[24] The gurudwara had no staff despite receiving pilgrims and entrance was restricted. The Pakistan government started repairing the shrine in September 2000 ahead of Guru Nanak's death anniversary and formally reopened it in September 2004.[25] The Kartarpur Corridor mission was initially started by Bhabishan Singh Goraya, he has been pursuing the cause for past 24 years.[26]