Sikhs all set to visit shrine in Pakistan
MODI WILL SEE OFF FIRST GROUP OF PILGRIMS TOMORROW
Acorridor that will allow Sikhs to cross from India into Pakistan to visit one of the religion’s holiest sites is set to open tomorrow, with thousands expected to make a pilgrimage interrupted by decades of conflict.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will see off the first group of pilgrims, and they will be welcomed by his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan at the shrine marking the grave of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak at Kartarpur, just four kilometres inside Pakistan.
The Kartarpur Corridor marks a rare example of cooperation between the nucleararmed rivals. The deal allows for up to 5,000 pilgrims a day to cross a secure corridor and bridge between the two countries, leading directly to the grave Guru Nanak.
“They are very excited,” custodian of the Kartarpur shrine Ramash Singh Arora told AFP, saying he hoped the initiative would pave the way for similar access to other Sikh sites in Pakistan in the future.
“If you look at the history, the foundation of Sikhism is from Pakistan.”
“For over 70 years, pilgrims haven’t had the chance to cross over, to come over, and that is just... it’s just... it’s going to be a really emotional moment,” said Karan Deep Singh, a pilgrim from Malaysia.
The opening comes just days ahead of the Guru Nanak’s 550th birthday on November 12, which is marked with celebrations by millions of Sikhs around the world.
ASikh procession including ‘Ragis’ and ‘Dhadis’ (who sing folk songs) on Wednesday left for Nankana Sahib in Pakistan to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
The inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor, which will connect Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district with Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, will take place later this week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the corridor on the Indian side.
The opening comes just days ahead of the Guru Nanak’s 550th birthday on November 12, which is marked with celebrations by millions of Sikhs around the world.
“For over 70 years, pilgrims haven’t had the chance to cross over, to come over, and that is just... it’s just... it’s going to be a really emotional moment,” said Karan Deep Singh, a pilgrim from Malaysia.
Others hoped the corridor would help mend ties between the rivals after years of hostility. “It should improve and I’m hoping that it will improve. Definitely. Because the goodwill
SCAN ME
To see dazzling pictures of Kartarpur shared by PM Imran Khan is oozing,” said Bhajan Singh Grewal from Australia. The Sikh faith began in the 15th century in the city of Lahore, which is now part of Pakistan, when Guru Nanak began teaching a faith that preached equality.
There are an estimated 20,000 Sikhs left in Pakistan after millions fled to India following partition in 1947 that sparked the largest mass migration in human history and led to the death of at least a million people.
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