Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Dera Baba Gurudwara in India, and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at Darbar Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan, officially inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor on 9 November 2019.
After paying homage at the Ber Sahib Gurudwara in Sultanpur Lodhi, Punjab, sporting a saffron turban, PM Modi later reached the Dera Baba Gurudwara to flag-off the first ‘Jatha’ (batch) of pilgrims to the Darbar Sahib Shrine. He also thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for respecting Indian sentiments towards the shrine, irrespective of the relations between both the countries.
Khan welcomed the first batch of the Indian Sikh pilgrims who entered Pakistan through the corridor.
The corridor links Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Indian Punjab's Gurdaspur district over a distance of 7 kilometres.
These first pilgrims included former PM Manmohan Singh, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab MP Sunny Deol, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
The opening of the corridor marks founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary on 12 November.
With an address at the integration checkpost, Modi said he was honoured to dedicate this visa-free corridor to this country. Addressing the ceremony, he said that it was a celebration for all, especially those from the Sikh community.
He later took a tour of the state-of-the-art passenger terminal building with a design inspired by 'khanda', a symbol of faith in Sikhism.
The country has accepted the long awaited corridor very warmly and there is a hope for improvement between the two nations.
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