KARTARPUR: A corridor for Indian Sikh pilgrims travelling to a holy temple in Pakistan will open in November, in time for one of the religion’s most sacred festivals.
The visa-free border crossing from India to Kartarpur, Pakistan will be inaugurated on November 9, just ahead of the 550th birthday of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak on November 12, Pakistani project director Atif Majeed said on Monday.
The project is a rare recent example of cooperation between the nuclear powers, who came close to war in February following a militant attack on police in Indian-administered Kashmir. India revoked the special status of its portion of the disputed territory last month, inflaming relations once again.
The Sikh minority community in India’s northern state of Punjab and elsewhere has long sought easier access to the temple in Kartarpur, a village just over the border in Pakistan. The temple marks the site where the guru died.
To get there, travellers currently must first secure hard-to-get visas, travel to Lahore or another major Pakistani city and then drive to the village, which is just 4km from the Indian border.
Logistics
Indian pilgrims will pay Pakistan $20 (Dh73.4) to use the corridor, which includes roadways, an 800 metre bridge over the Ravi River and an immigration office.
Up to 5,000 Indians will be allowed access daily, with plans to eventually double capacity, Majeed said.
Costs of the corridor were not released.
Many Sikhs see Pakistan as the place where their religion began. Its founder, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469 in a small village near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
So far 86 per cent of the work on the corridor has been completed and it will be opened to pilgrims on November 9
The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
76 immigration counters have been set up to cater to 5,000 Sikh pilgrims from India every day. The number is expected to rise to 10,000 later.
Visiting Sikh pilgrims will be provided free food and medicines by the Pakistan Gurdwara Sikh Parbhandik Committee.
