NEW DELHI India will build and develop a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district to the International Border to facilitate Sikh pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi river in Pakistan, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Thursday. The response from Pakistan was affirmative.
Kartarpur Sahib, located just across the International Border, is the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev and one of the holiest shrines of Sikhs.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
New Delhi will also also request Islamabad to recognise the sentiments of the Sikh community and develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory as well.
“In a landmark decision, the Cabinet approves building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to International Border. Kartarpur corridor project with all modern amenities and facilities to be implemented with Central Government funding,” he said in a series of tweets.
The home minister said the union cabinet also decided to develop the historic town of Sultanpur Lodhi as heritage town on smart city principles.
Pakistan welcomed the Indian decision and called it a victory for the peace lobby in both countries. Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said New Delhi’s move was an endorsement of Islamabad’s proposition on the issue.
“It is a step in the right direction and we hope such steps will encourage voice of reason and tranquility on both sides of the border,” Chaudhry tweeted.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shahd Mehmood Qureshi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will lay the foundation stone for Kartarpur corridor on November 28.
The corridor’s opening will form part of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations.
“We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion,” the Minister added.
Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, which is three kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, is the final resting place of Guru Nanak, who founded Sikhism.
The Kartarpur corridor will provide smooth and easy passage to pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib throughout the year. The Pakistan government will be urged to reciprocate and develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory, he said.
A high-powered telescope will be installed along the Indo-Pak border for devotees to view Kartarpur Sahib in Punjab.
The issue of Kartarpur Sahib came into focus after Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Pakistan in August to attend the oath-taking ceremony of his cricketer-turned-politician friend Imran Khan as prime minister of that country.
After his return, Sidhu claimed that Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had told him that Pakistan may open a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib.
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