Pakistan PM Imran Khan lays foundation stone for Kartarpur corridor
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims.
Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri represented India at the event.
Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was also present on the occasion.
Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, is expected to be completed within six months.
The development comes ahead of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary next year.
Thousands of Sikh devotees from India visit Pakistan every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that its a historic day for the Sikh community and their long standing wish is now closer to becoming reality.
