LAHORE—Addressing a Sikh congregation at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib on August 28, the Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Mr. Noor-ul-Haq Qadri informed that the Pakistan government has begun efforts for opening the corridor to Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib. He promised that the upcoming 550th birthday of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji will be celebrated with intense religious fervor and the worldwide Sikh pilgrims will be given Visas beside opening corridor for Sikhs residing in India.
Noor-ul-Haq Qadri further informed that the Pakistani government is also going to issue a postal ticket commemorated to the 550th birthday of first Sikh master Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He added that he will meet the Prime Minister Imran Khan in this concern in coming days.
Meanwhile, it has come to fore that an Indian envoy headed by Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad Mr. Ajay Bisaria paid a visit to Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib (Narowal) on August 29.
Interacting with media after paying visit to Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib, Mr. Ajay Bisaria expressed hope to bring this longstanding proposal to fruition with focused follow-up and coordination with the Pakistan side. “This corridor will have a special appeal and significance for devotees as we celebrate 550 years of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birth next year,” he added.
It may be recalled here that the proposal for opening corridor to Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib had first come up in 2000 during the tenure of Parvez Musharraf in Pakistan. Although, the Pakistan allows the Indian Sikhs to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib twice or thrice in a year through Wagah border but opening of a straight corridor will be an important gesture from Pakistan for the Sikh pilgrims.
