Now, Pak says no date fixed for corridor opening

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, on Thursday, said no date has been fixed so far for the inauguration of the much-awaited Kartarpur corridor, even as it assured that it will be open ‘on time’ on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next month.

The statement comes nearly a month after a senior official heading the corridor project announced that Pakistan would allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib from November 9.

Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman, Mohammad Faisal, said, “Work on the corridor will be completed on time as committed by prime minister Imran Khan. It will be inaugurated on time, but I can’t give any date for its opening as no date has been fixed so far.” But, he assured that the corridor will be open on November 12.

On September 16, during a maiden visit of Pakistani and foreign journalists to the proposed Kartarpur Corridor in Narowal, some 125 km from Lahore, the project director, Atif Majid, said 86 per cent of the work on the corridor has been completed and it will be opened to pilgrims on November 9.

The proposed corridor connects Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and will facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will only have to obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by the founder of the Sikh faith.

Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, while the other part— from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district up to the border—is being constructed by India.