The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, the under-construction border corridor between India and Pakistan connecting the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib (located in Punjab, India) and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur (in Punjab, Pakistan) will begin on November 11, Additional Secretary of Home Ministry Govind Mohan has said on Monday.
The good news for thousands of Sikh pilgrims comes ahead of Guru Nank Dev Jayanti on November 12. The corridor will be used to allow religious devotees from India to visit the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, 4.7 kilometres (2.9 miles) from the Pakistan-India border, without a visa.
Giving a detailed report on the construction of the Kartarpur Corridor, Additional Secretary of Home Ministry Govind Mohan said: "There are 3 works that are part of Indian side of the Kartarpur corridor. An extra highway of 3.5 km is being made from the Gurdaspur-Batala highway till the border point, 70% of it is done, it'll be completed by 31st October."
"The second work is a Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) whose work is underway. In this building, there will be immigration and other facilities for the Sikh devotees who will go towards Kartarpur," Govind Mohan added.
"There will be movement of people on Kartarpur Corridor by 11th November," Additional Secretary Mohan said. November 12 is 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has said just announced that it will inaugurate the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on November 9, two days ahead of India.
The Kartarpur Corridor conceptualised in 1999 by the Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
The foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor was laid down on the Indian side On 26 November 2018. Two days later the foundation stone for the corridor was laid down on the Pakistani side.
In April this year, the Pakistan government had also given its nod for construction of a railway station at Guru Nanak Dev's birthplace Nankana Sahib. Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, who also first began preaching here. The city has high historic and religious value and a popular pilgrimage site for Sikhs from all over the world.
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