Historic Kartarpur Corridor Opens Today, PM Modi To Flag Off First Batch Of 500 Indian Pilgrims

India and Pakistan will hold separate ceremonies on either side of the border to inaugurate the corridor which will grant Indian pilgrims access to the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev who died at the start of the 16th century.

Kartarpur: A view of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. Thousands of Indian Sikh pilgrims are eagerly waiting for the historic opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor which will allow their visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib from Saturday, amidst conflicting statements by the Pakistani authorities and the army regarding the requirement of passport and the USD 20 facilitation fee. (PTI Photo)(PTI11_8_2019_000180B)

New Delhi: Thousands of Sikh pilgrims eagerly await the formal inauguration of the historic Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, a 4.7 kilometre long passage that connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India's Gurdaspur and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur, scheduled for Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan separately inaugurate the cross-border pathway in their respective countries. The landmark corridor is being inaugurated amidst tight security in the backdrop of tension between the two countries over the Kashmir issue. The passage shall be open three days ahead of 550th anniversary of founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev on November 12. Prime Minister Modi will flag off the first batch of over 500 Indian pilgrims that will travel to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province through the Kartarpur corridor, which is being thrown open days ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev on November 12. Khan will inaugurate the corridor on the Pakistani side and receive the Indian Sikh pilgrims including former prime minister Manmohan Singh. PM Modi will also inaugurate passenger terminal building, also known as Integrated Check Post, where pilgrims will get clearance to travel through the corridor. A 300 feet National Flag has been hoisted at the International Border. The state-of-the-art Passenger Terminal Building is on 15 acres land. The fully airconditioned building akin to an airport has over 50 immigration counters for facilitating about 5000 pilgrims a day. It has all the necessary public amenities like kiosks, washrooms, childcare, first aid medical facilities, prayer room and snacks counters inside the main building. Major names in the first batch: The first batch of pilgrims includes former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and her husband former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal and several ministers, MPs and MLAs from Punjab who travel to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib through the Kartarpur Corridor. Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, will lead the Indian delegation as the religious leader. No service charge on inauguration day: Already there have been mixed signals from Pakistan on the requirement of passports for the visiting pilgrims from India using the corridor. Pakistani authorities have also retracted the USD 20 service charge waiver for the inauguration day on Saturday. Earlier, sources in New Delhi said Pakistan has conveyed to India that pilgrims using the Kartarpur corridor on Saturday will also have to pay the USD 20 service fee, going back on its promise. In another U-turn hours later, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan will not collect any service charge from Indian pilgrims on November 9 and 12. Watch | All you need to know about Kartarpur Corridor Opening Robust security infrastructure is put in place with CCTV surveillance and public address systems. Sidhu, who has expressed his willingness to attend the inaugural ceremony, has been granted "political" clearance by the government to visit Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib. India and Pakistan had on October 24 signed an agreement on the modalities for operationalising the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, paving way for its inauguration ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikh Guru. The corridor will facilitate visa-free movement but Indian pilgrims are required to carry their passports and will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, which was established by Guru Nanak Dev in 1522. The foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor was laid down on the Indian side on November 26, 2018. Two days later, the foundation stone was laid on the Pakistani side. According to the Home Ministry, the agreement, which lays a formal framework for operationalising the corridor, stated that Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin can use the corridor. The travel will be visa-free and pilgrims need to carry only a valid passport. Persons of Indian-Origin need to carry OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) card along with the passport of their country. (with inputs from agencies)