ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan is to inaugurate Kartarpur Corridoron Saturday facilitating entry to Sikh community of India to come toGurdwara Dera Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan on the 550th birth anniversarycelebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
The landmark project initiated on the directives of Imran Khan as apeace-building measure for the region and to promote interfaith harmony,was completed in record time.
The entire project is funded and executed by Pakistan as a gift to Sikhcommunity.
Previously, the Gurdwara was stretched on merely 4 acres, which has nowbeen extended to eight hundred acres of land. Of which 104 acres arecurrently used for the main building and its courtyard. Thirty six acres,where Baba Guru Nanak used to do farming, have been reserved for plantationunder the title of Kheti Sahib.
The visit will be visa-free and the yatrees from India will have to pay anominal amount of 20 dollars as service fee under the MOU. But PrimeMinister Imran Khan, as a mark of utmost facilitation, has waived off thecondition of passport and the fee for pilgrims, who are visiting Pakistan,on the day of inauguration of the corridor and Guru JI’s birthday.
The Indian yatrees will be received at Indian border from where they willbe taken to terminal for biometric registration. Then they will be taken tothe Gurdwara on buses.
Walking tracks have been constructed, along with resting points for thoseSikh pilgrims, who wish to walk to the Gurdwara by foot. At the entrypoints of Gurdwara, lockers are available if yatrees wish to keep theirbelongings there. An additional dewan has been built for yatrees, if themain Gurdwara runs out of space to accommodate the worshipers. Moreover, alibrary and a museum have also been built to house historical valuablesrelating to the Sikh religion.
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Inside the Gurdawara, a large guest house has been built to the yatrees.
A langer khana has been established with a capacity of feeding over twothousand visitors at a time. The langer khana will provide free food for 10initial days. Toilets and water filtration systems have been installed atthe vicinity, including separate toilets for female visitors.
As per the MoU, in initial phase, the Indian visitors are required tofinish their visit in a day and return to their country in the evening.Initially, 5,000 yatrees per day are expected to come from India. Thegovernment of Pakistan has appointed tourist guides and setup help desks tohelp and guide visitors.
An additional tent village has also been established to accommodate theinflux of yatrees. The pilgrimage will be allowed all 365 days a year. TheSikh community from around the globe has responded positively to theopening of Kartarpur Corridor.
