Kartarpur corridor inaugurated by PM Modi

(PTI) Dera Baba Nanak (Gurudaspur), Ta. November 9, 2019, Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kartarpur corridor on Saturday and showed the first batch of more than 500 Indian devotees here.

The first batch includes former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan with the Dur Baba Nanak, the last residence of the founder of Sikhism, Gurunanak Dev in the district of Gurudaspur in Punjab.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the first batch of pilgrims led by Akal Takhtar Jathedhar Giani Harpreet Singh to go to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib through the corridor.

The Gurudwara Darbar Sahib will open on November 12th on the 550th birth anniversary of Gurunanak Dev. The Prime Minister inaugurated the passenger terminal building of the Indian side corridor. The building also covers a check post, where pilgrims are newly built 4.5 km. Will allow travel through longer corridors.

India signed an agreement with the neighboring nation on October 24 to operate the corridor at Zero Point, an international border in Dera Baba Nanak.

The first pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Durbar Sahib include Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Navjot Singh Sidhu. Besides, members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and 117 MLAs and MPs of Punjab also joined the mob.

Prime Minister Modi dedicated the corridor to the nation. P. Singh joined Bandor, Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar at the langar (community kitchen). Modi, dressed in a kesari turban, watched a video based on the life of Gurunanak Dev. The Prime Minister also observed the model of Kartarpur corridor.

The state-of-the-art passenger terminal building is inspired by 'Khanda', a symbol of faith in Sikhism and is spread over 15 acres of land. The fully air-conditioned building, like an airport, also has more than 50 immigration counters to provide facilities to 5,000 pilgrims daily. This corridor has all the necessary public amenities. The project was undertaken by the Land Ports Authority of India, a central government agency.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan gave a speech to the Sikh community on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Gurunanak Dev and said that the historic inauguration of Kartarpur Sahib corridor shows Pakistan's commitment to regional peace. This interaction between people and people in India and Pakistan creates hope for improvement in the strained relations between the two neighboring countries.

Imran Khan added that we believe that the prosperity of the region and the future of the next generation are more bright in times of peace. Today we have not only opened the borders but also opened our hearts to the Sikh community. Imran Khan congratulated the Sikh community and the world on this historic day.