All about the Kartarpur Corridor and its connection with India
We have been hearing about the Kartarpur Corridor for a long time now. The historic corridor connects two neighbours, India and Pakistan, on religious and spiritual grounds. But how many of you are actually aware about the history and relevance of this historic site?
What is the Kartarpur Corridor?
First question first, what is this corridor all about? So, the Kartarpur Corridor is basically a visa-free border crossing that connects the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India. The corridor was constructed so that the devotees from India can visit the gurdwara in Kartarpur, which is nearly 4.7 km from the India - Pakistan border on the Pakistan side without a visa.
When was the foundation of the corridor laid?
The proposal to build the Kartarpur Corridor was first discussed in 1999 between the then leaders of the two nations, Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif. But, it was on 26 November 2018 that the foundation stone was laid on the Indian side and on 28 November 2018 on the Pakistani side. It was in 2019 that the corridor was completed and opened for pilgrims to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on November 12, 2019.
Religious Importance.:
The place holds immense religious significance for Sikhs from across the globe because of Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara. It was Guru Nanak, the first guru of Sikhism, who founded Kartarpur in 1504 and died here in 1539. Later, Dera Baba Nanak Gurdwara was established here on the banks of the Ravi River to commemorate him.
Connection Broken:.
In 1947, during the partition, the region was divided between India and Pakistan and Kartarpur went to Pakistan. Several years after partition, Indian Sikhs were able to visit Kartarpur informally by crossing the Jassar Bridget, but the bridge was destroyed by Pakistani forces later during the Indo-Pak war of 1965. Years later, the leaders of both the nations decided to make the gurudwara easily accessible for Indian Sikhs
After remaining shut for more than 20 months because of COVID-19, the religious site in Pakistan is finally open for Indian devotees. As per reports, since its inauguration in 2019, the gurudwara in Kartarpur has been visited by more than 59000 pilgrims. This year, the government is expecting Pakistan to allow 1500 pilgrims on the occasion of Guruparab.
Message of Prime Minister Imran Khan on Inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor 9th Nov 2019
I wish to congratulate the Sikh Community, residing on both sides of the border and the world over, on this historic day of inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor. The significance of this event for the Sikh Community, on 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, can be well understood by the Muslims who know what it means to visit holy places.
The inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor is a manifestation of the fact that our hearts are always open for the followers of different religions as enjoined by our great religion and envisioned by our Father of the Nation. Today we are not only opening border but also our hearts for the Sikh community. This unprecedented gesture of goodwill from the Government of Pakistan is a reflection of our deep respect for Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji and religious sentiments of Sikh Community who always wanted to have an easy access to the shrine of their spiritual leader and perform their religious obligations.
The inauguration today is also a testimony of our commitment towards peace of the region. We believe that the road to prosperity of region and bright future of our coming generation lies in peace. We believe that interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence will provide us an opportunity to work for larger interests of people of the sub-continent.
While congratulating the Sikh Community once again, I also wish to thank all those who contributed towards transforming this vision in reality in record time of 10 months only.