Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s biggest gift to the Sikh community across the World
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ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan is to inaugurate Kartarpur Corridor on Saturday facilitating entry to Sikh community of India to come to Gurdwara Dera Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan on the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
The landmark project initiated on the directives of Imran Khan as a peace-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 Sikh community.
Previously, the Gurdwara was stretched on merely 4 acres, which has now been extended to eight hundred acres of land. Of which 104 acres are currently used for the main building and its courtyard. Thirty six acres, where Baba Guru Nanak used to do farming, have been reserved for plantation under the title of Kheti Sahib.
The visit will be visa-free and the yatrees from India will have to pay a nominal amount of 20 dollars as service fee under the MOU. But Prime Minister Imran Khan, as a mark of utmost facilitation, has waived off the condition 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 will be taken to terminal for biometric registration. Then they will be taken to the Gurdwara on buses.
Walking tracks have been constructed, along with resting points for those Sikh pilgrims, who wish to walk to the Gurdwara by foot. At the entry points of Gurdwara, lockers are available if yatrees wish to keep their belongings there. An additional dewan has been built for yatrees, if the main Gurdwara runs out of space to accommodate the worshipers. Moreover, a library and a museum have also been built to house historical valuables relating to the Sikh religion.
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 two thousand visitors at a time. The langer khana will provide free food for 10 initial days. Toilets and water filtration systems have been installed at the vicinity, including separate toilets for female visitors.
As per the MoU, in initial phase, the Indian visitors are required to finish 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. The government of Pakistan has appointed tourist guides and setup help desks to help and guide visitors.
An additional tent village has also been established to accommodate the influx of yatrees. The pilgrimage will be allowed all 365 days a year. The Sikh community from around the globe has responded positively to the opening of Kartarpur Corridor.
