Kartarpur corridor: Both India and Pakistan have given a green signal for the building a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district to the international border to facilitate Sikh pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi river in Pakistan. In India, the decision was taken in Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. According to reports, New Delhi will also request Islamabad to recognise the sentiments of the Sikh community and develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory as well. Reports also suggest that it will be a visa-free corridor for Sikh devotees from India to Pakistan’s Kartarpur Sahib. Pakistan has also agreed to the proposal and will begin the construction later this month with Pakistan PM Imran Khan likely to lay the foundation stone of the project. The Kartarpur corridor will be built as an integrated development project and will be entirely funded by the Indian government.

As soon as the decision was announced by the government, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took to Twitter and said that the Pakistan government has already conveyed to India its decision to open Kartarpur Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary and that Prime Minister Imran Khan would do a groundbreaking ceremony for the corridor on November 28.

Here’s all you need to know about Kartarpur Sahib – the holy site for Sikhs located in Pakistan:

i. Kartarpur corridor project entails construction of passage between India and Pakistan which enables Sikhs pilgrims to visit a historic gurudwara in Pakistan where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have spent the last 18 years of his life.

ii. The gurudwara is located 120 kms from Lahore in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The gurudwara was built at the site where Guru Nanak Dev died on September 22, 1539. Guru Nanak assembled and settled members of the Sikh community at this place after his missionary visits.

iii. The holy shrine is also notable for its location near the border between Pakistan and India. The gurudwara is visible from the Indian side of the border as Pakistani authorities generally trim the tall Elephant grass that would otherwise obstruct the view. Sikhs in India gather in large numbers to perform darshan from the Indian side of the border.

iv. According to a report by news agency PTI, a high-powered telescope will be installed along the Indo-Pak border for devotees to view Kartarpur Sahib in Punjab. Reportedly, India will also run a train passing through holy places associated with Guru Nanak Dev.

v. The development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the International Border will facilitate pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi river.