A surge of emotions blurred the border, as over 500 Indian pilgrims crossed a 4.2-km stretch from Gurdaspur to the Durbar Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan’s Kartarpur to mark the historic opening of the corridor to one of the holiest shrines of the Sikh community. The Kartarpur Corridor, connecting the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur, Punjab to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan was inaugurated on November 9, in a rare and landmark people-to-people initiative amidst strained bilateral ties over Kashmir between the two neighbours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first jatha led by Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, and prominent leaders including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, from near the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur. In Kartarpur, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan opened the corridor and unveiled a kirpan as the symbol for the gurdwara complex in Narowal district. “It was a good beginning to normalise relations between the two countries. It is a big day for us,” said Manmohan Singh. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he was “overwhelmed to be a part of the first jatha as a humble devotee” and to see the fulfillment of a 70-year demand of the Sikh community.
“The Berlin Wall came down on this day, November 9, and the LoC too can come down. PM Modi said thanks to Imran Khan for the Kartarpur corridor. Apart from Manmohan Singh and Amarinder Singh, the Indian delegation included Union ministers Harsimrat Badal and Hardeep Puri, and Punjab ministers and MLAs. It also included former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, and his son and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. On the Pakistan side, the ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan Punjab province’s Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.
As soon as the pilgrims crossed into Pakistan, they were greeted by Pakistan Rangers personnel. “It is as if we are meeting after the Partition. We are the same people. It’s just that two generations have passed with the pain of Partition,” a Pakistani immigration official said. Welcoming the Indian pilgrims, including his cricketing friend and MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, Imran Khan said that if the Kashmir issue was resolved, borders could open and trade would take place. “When I was elected Prime Minister, I told Modi that our biggest problem was poverty. I told him that if we open our borders, then trade will eliminate poverty,” he said. The Pakistan Prime Minister said that he could “see the happiness on the faces of Sikh pilgrims”. “Kartarpur is like Medina for the Sikh community. Think how a Muslim would feel if he were able to see Medina from 3 km away but not able to visit it,” Khan said. Qureshi termed as "historic" the opening of the corridor but made it clear that the initiative was not an indication of Pakistan's willingness to engage in dialogue with India.
The Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib is located across Ravi river in Pakistan and is about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Apart from the gurdwara itself, one of the main attractions for pilgrims from India was “Guru Nanak’s well”. “This is a corridor of hope. We have come from Italy to be a part of the first jatha,” said Jagwant Singh, who reached India on the government’s invitation.
Notwithstanding their strained ties over Kashmir, India and Pakistan signed an agreement last month, paving the way for the inauguration of the corridor. According to the pact, Pakistan will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib. On August 5, India announced the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir''s special status under Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Pakistan reacted angrily to the decision and even expelled Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad.
