LAHORE: PM Imran Khan will perform the groundbreaking of the four kilometers long Kartarpur Corridor tomorrow (28th November).
The corridor will connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur area of Narowal district with Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur District. In order, to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims visiting sacred places here Pakistan will build Kartarpur corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India.
An Indian delegation, including its Minister for Food Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister for Housing Hardeep S. Puri, Indian Punjab Minister for Local Government and Tourism and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu and Indian journalists, will attend the ceremony. The initiative for opening the corridor was taken by Pakistan which was later endorsed by the Indian side. The initiative has widely been lauded both in Pakistan and India as a step towards building bridges between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Indian has said Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are on the verge to make history through establishing Kartarpur Corridor. Talking to the media along with Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar at Governor’s House on Tuesday, he said the time had provided opportunities to the Pak-India leaders to mark their names in the history through epoch-making feats, adding great leaders never let such opportunities slip away.
He said that Kartarpur Corridor would eventually ‘immortalize’ Imran Khan and Narendra Modi. Navjot Sidhu said nothing could be accomplished without effort and endeavor, adding it was miraculous that Kartarpur Corridor had become a reality in just three months. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan could not give a better joy and bliss to the 120 million Sikhs than the opening of Kartarpur border crossing.
To a query, the Indian politician said a sweet fragrance of friendship had emanated from the land of Pakistan after a lapse of 71 years, adding it was going to mesmerize people on the Indian side of the border as the Kartarpur Corridor becomes a reality on November 28. To another question, he said that the opening of Kartarpur Corridor would pave the way for peace in the region and open up new vistas of cooperation between the neighboring countries.
“Kartwarpur Corridor would enhance people-to-people contacts and I foresee brotherhood and more friendly relations between the peoples of two Punjabs,” he said. The Pakistan government had opened up doors for innumerable possibilities by opening the doors to the resting place of Baba Guru Nanak, he added.
Talking to the media, Punjab Governor Muhammad Sarwar said the opening of Kartarpur border was a historic initiative by Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding Sikhs could not cross Kartarpur border crossing for the last many decades. The Governor welcomed Navjot Singh Sidhu to Lahore, adding that Sikhs were faced with multiple problems including visas and all these problems would be resolved under the leadership of Imran Khan. Ch Sarwar invited Sidhu to spend a whole day in Nankana Sahib the next year, adding that the government would ensure maximum facilities in the holy city of Nankana.
