Pakistan decides to open the Kartarpur Corridor

Foreign Minister while briefing the National Assembly today said that Pakistan has decided to open the Kartarpur Corridor for the 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in 2019. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony of the facilities at the crossing on the Pakistan side, on 28 November 2018. The Pakistani proposal to initiate the corridor has also been concurred by India. Kartarpur is a small town in district Narowal, 4 km from the Pakistan- India border, where the founder of the Sikh religion, Baba Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life. Subsequently, Gurdwara Darbar Sahab was built at the site on the Pakistan side and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak in India, which are visited by thousands of Sikhs every year. Opening the corridor will allow Sikh Yatrees ease of access for their most reverential place of worship which has been their longstanding demand. This is also reflective of the importance and primacy that Pakistan gives to all minorities. In line with the principles of Islam and the Quaid-e-Azam’s vision of a peaceful neighborhood, Pakistan’s initiative will further facilitate Sikhs, especially from India. Pakistan’s Kartarpur Spirit can be a step forward in the right direction from conflict to cooperation, animosity to peace and enmity to friendship.