SIALKOT-The Sikh Community across the region celebrated inauguration of work on Kartarpur Corridor and the jubilant male and female Sikhs danced to the loud drumbeats as expression of their happiness. They also distributed sweets.
A large number of Sikhs, wearing clothes carrying national flag of Pakistan, also gave a strong message of peace, love, affection, tolerance, unity, brotherhood and respect of humanity to India.
On November 28,2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan had laid the foundation stone of Kartarpura Corridor to facilitate the Sikh community through visa-free entry to Gurdawara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpura near border with India.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Punjab Governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, some Indian parliamentarians, two Indian ministers Simrat Kaur and Hardeep Kaur led by cricketer-turned-parliamentarian Sardar Najvot Singh Sidhu, 1,600 male and female Sikhs Yatrees (pilgrims) from India, ambassadors of the different countries had also attended the prestigious inaugural ceremony held at Kartarpur near here.
The Auqaf Department officials said that it would be about 3.4km long corridor between Pakistan and India.
According to Sardar Jaskaran Singh Sidhu, caretaker/incharge Gurdawara Babey Di Beri Sialkot, with the establishment of the corridor, Pakistan got the world attention towards its special peace initiatives with India, seeking positive and encouraging Indian response to maintain peace.
He said that this history-making event got attention worldwide, saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan has made impassioned plea for peace with India.
“Pakistan won hearts of millions of Sikh community members,” said Sardar Gobind Singh, caretaker/incharge of Gudawara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.
As many 4,000 people from across Pakistan and world attended the prestigious ceremony, said the officials.
Sikh fait founder Baba Jee Guru Nanak had spent 18 years of life at Gurdawara Kartarpur-Shakargarh and passed away during his stay there.
Sikhs from India would be able to get visa-free entry to Kartarpur from India from 2019, said the officials concerned.
They informed that in first phase, construction of Gurdawara Complex would be started soon at Kartarpur, besides the construction of international standards hotels, shopping malls, customs and immigration offices.
There would be special residential facilities available near Kartarpur Gurdawara for about 10,000 Sikh Yatrees on the occasion of 550th birthday of Guru Nanak to be celebrated in from November, 2019.
The Interior Ministry of Pakistan would also provide machine readable passport facility to the Sikh Yatrees at Kartarpur Corridor while the Yatrees would get visa-free entry to Kartarpur Gurdawara after getting special permits to be issued by the governments of Pakistan and India, the officials added.
They informed that a special border terminal would also be established near the corridor for easy immigration of the Sikh Yatrees.