The proposed Kartarpur Corridor that will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, will be open on November 9, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Sunday.
The much-awaited corridor will facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib.
“Pakistan is all set to open its doors for Sikhs from all across the globe, as the construction work on Kartarpur project enters final stages and will be open to public on November 9, 2019,” PM Khan said in a Facebook post.
Pakistani Prime Minister’s post cleared air on whether the corridor will be open on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikh founder Guru Nanak Dev on November 12 or not.
“The world’s largest gurdwara will be visited by Sikhs from across India and other parts of the World. This will become a major religious hub for the Sikh community, and will boost the local economy, result in earning foreign exchange for the country creating jobs in different sectors including travel and hospitality,” Mr Khan said.
“Religious tourism is on the rise in Pakistan, earlier Buddhist monks visited various sites for religious rituals followed by opening of Kartarpur Corridor,” he added.
There were ups and downs related to the date of the inauguration of the corridor as on October 10, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson, Mohammad Faisal said that no date has been fixed so far.
On Sunday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted hi invitation to attend the Kartarpur inauguration ceremony as common man.
On October 3, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Manmohan Singh had agreed to join all-party ‘jatha’ (delegation) to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara to join the mega event after the opening of the corridor.