Pakistan opens corridor for Sikh pilgrims
KARTARPUR, Pakistan — Just being inside the Sikh temple in Pakistan brought him to tears.
Gurmukh Singh was born in Punjab before it was split in the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. He ended up on the Indian side. Now, decades later, he made his return Saturday with the opening of a road link between India and Pakistan.
“I did not think this was possible in my lifetime,” said 88year-old Singh. “I hope this will bring the two countries together.”
The historic cross-border road opening marks a rare moment of cooperation in the hostile relationship between the two nuclear-armed countries that nearly went to war again earlier this year. For the first time, Sikh pilgrims will be able to travel visa-free to a major holy shrine in Pakistan via the Kartarpur corridor inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday.
“We believe that the road to prosperity of region and bright future of our coming generation lies in peace,” Khan said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Khan while seeing off the first batch of pilgrims from the Indian side. “He understood India’s feelings on the Kartarpur Corridor issue, gave respect and, keeping in view those feelings, worked accordingly.”
Tuesday will mark the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Guru Nanak spent the last years of his life in Kartarpur, about 2.5 miles from the Indian border northeast of
Lahore.
The temple, Darbar Sahib Gurudwara, is one of the holiest shrines for the Sikh community in India but has not been easy to reach for Indians.
They could either fly to Lahore or cross via a checkpoint on the main road between Lahore and Amritsar, India. But both routes require visas.
The border near the temple, however, has remain closed for the past 72 years since the two countries were created during a bloody partition that displaced millions.
This year the strained ties frayed further.
In August, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties, suspending trade and travel from India. A few days earlier, India revoked the semiautonomous status of Kashmir, bringing it under direct central rule. Parts of the disputed Himalayan region are controlled by each country, and both claim the region in its entirety. For the first time in the history of the two countries, postal services were also suspended.
The opening of the corridor for Sikh pilgrims has sparked hopes for more overtures between the two countries. Upkar Singh, 55, traveled from his home in London to fulfill his grandfather’s wish to visit the temple.
“This is our motherland,” Singh said. “This corridor has broken barriers and united people from all religions.”