The unthinkable has happened. Devotees got the best gift for Guru Purab this year and we are stoked. Miracles happen when Guru Nanak Dev Ji is involved and on his 550th birth anniversary, we’ve got proof. For the first time ever, Indians will be able to enter Pakistan without visa.
What is it
Kartarpur Corridor has been inaugurated for Guru Purab by PM Modi. It’s about 4.5 km long connecting Dera Baba Nanak from Gurdaspur-Amritsar Highway to the International border. The road link allowed 562 Sikh pilgrims on its first day to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev ji. Navjot Singh Sidhu, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal were all part of the historic trip.
The delegation also included Akal Takhat Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee members and all the 117 MLAs and MPs from Punjab. Twitter got all excited when PM Modi met ex PM Manmohan Singh and his wife for a brief chat at the time of flagging off the jatha. We’re nostalgic of the Twitter trend about Navjot Singh Sidhu’s peace-loving hug with a Pakistan CM when the country announced they were ready to grant the devotees’ decades long with of the corridor. Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee dream has come true!
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What’s more
Pilgrims will get clearance at the passenger terminal building of the corridor in India and must return after paying respects in Pakistan’s Narowal district according to the agreement. The Kartarpur Corridor is set to become the Peace Corridor to minimise tensions between the two countries cut from the same cloth. The Kartarpur Corridor will see a maximum limit of 5,000 pilgrims daily and an additional 10,000 on special occasions. Devotees from India must pay a service fee of ₹1,420 to cross and can book the trip online. With an estimation of 18 lakh Sikh devotees every year, Pakistan would earn about ₹259 crore.
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Initiatives like these make way for shining rays of hope for a peaceful bond between India-Pakistan. The cricket will carry on, but the bloodshed need not. Pilgrims have been waiting for this opportunity since generations. We can’t wait to feel the happiness ourselves!
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First Published: November 11, 2019 3:48 PM