Pak to give visa-free access to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will soon open the Kartarpur border crossing with India for Sikh pilgrims to visit a historic gurdwara there without visas, information minister Fawad Chaudhry said, according to a media report on Friday.

Chaudhry said a system was being developed for Sikhs to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur and “soon some forward movement is expected”.

“Pakistan will soon open the border at Kartarpur for Sikh pilgrims who will be able to visit the historic gurdwara without visas,” he said in an interview to BBC Urdu.

Chaudhry’s statement has come about three weeks after Sidhu said that Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had given an indication to him at the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan that Islamabad would open a corridor to the gurdwara on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year.

The historic gurdwara at Kartarpur, located around 5km from the India-Pakistan international border in Narowal district of Pakistan Punjab province and opposite the border belt in Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district, holds monumental significance for the Sikhs as it is associated with Sikhism’s first master.

The gurdwara is revered by the Sikhs because it was there that Guru Nanak spent 17 years of his life until his death in 1539.

Devotees from the Indian side can see the Kartarpur gurdwara while standing on a high place constructed along the border, with the help of a telescope under the surveillance of the Border Security Force (BSF). There have been demands from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh leaders time and again to build a corridor to enable pilgrims to visit the gurdwara.

SIDHU HAILS MOVE

Welcoming Chaudhry’s statement, Sidhu said Pakistan was awaiting a positive reply from India for dates for talks. “I thank my friend Imran Khan for this noble goodwill gesture. He has not walked two steps but miles and opened the doors for infinite possibilities. I am indebted forever,” he said.

PAK INFO MINISTER’S STATEMENT COMES 3 WEEKS AFTER SIDHU SAID THEIR ARMY CHIEF HAD GIVEN INDICATION OF OPENING CORRIDOR