NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed members of theSikh community and hailed the opening of the Kartarpur corridor.
“I also thank Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan for understandingIndia’s wishes and turning Kartarpur into reality,” Modi said in hisspeech. He also thanked the labour in both countries for completing theconstruction in such a short time.
The Indian premier said that Baba Guru Nanak was not just a revered figurefor Sikhs but for the entire humanity.
About 8,000-10,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive from around the world tomark Guru Nanak’s 550th birthday on November 12.
The premier had performed the ground breaking of the visa-free corridorlast year. Since then, the government has employed hundreds of labourers tospruce up the shrine, including building a border immigration checkpointand a bridge, as well as expanding the site’s grounds. After toughnegotiations between Islamabad and New Delhi, Pakistan and India hadfinally signed an agreement regarding the project last month.
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Ahead of the opening, the prime minister also announced special waiverslinkinorder to facilitate Indian pilgrims. Pilgrims who arrive from India will nolonger need a passport to cross over into Pakistan as long as they have avalid identity.
The premier had also announced that he had directed that the condition forpilgrims to register 10 days before their arrival at the Kartarpur shrinebe waived.
