CHANDIGARH:
Officials from India and Pakistan met at the Zero Line along the international border between the two countries in Dera Baba Nanak sector on Tuesday and discussed the technical and security aspects of the upcoming Kartarpur Corridor.
Official sources said that officers from the two sides discussed the alignment of the Corridor which will be around 5-km long. Out of this, nearly 4.5 km will fall in Pakistan’s territory. The officials also discussed security arrangements for the Corridor which is expected to cater to hundreds of pilgrims from India who will be visiting the Sikh shrine inside Pakistan under a visa-free arrangement.
The Corridor is expected to be completed before November this year to enable pilgrims to travel to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November this year. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has been demanding visa-free “khule darshan” at the gurdwara for Indians of all faiths, from India and overseas, all seven days a week.
The Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, located 4.5 km from the border near the Dera Baba Nanak town in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, is significant for the Sikh community as it is here that Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life and is his final resting place.
The governments of India and Pakistan are trying to facilitate the travel of pilgrims to offer prayers at the gurdwara — a demand made by the Sikhs for over 70 years.
Dera Baba Nanak town is around 260 km from here.
