Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the much-awaited corridor flanked by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi, Indian Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Minister for Housing Hardeep S. Puri. The groundbreaking ceremony was followed by Indian Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal sprinkling Amrat Jal, holy water from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The event was attended by a large number of Sikh yatrees both local and Indian along with Indian journalists and foreign diplomats.
The event began with the airing of a film about the pilgrimage of members of the Sikh community to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
As per the programme, the Pakistan government will open the four-kilometer-long visa-free corridor on Baba Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary next year. The project will be completed keeping in view the needs of Sikh community.
The premier said that all bilateral issues can be resolved through strong political will and determination. "If we want to end poverty, borders should be opened, he said. "China has brought 700 million people out of poverty and the leadership of Pakistan and India should also adopt the same approach," he added.
Imran said: "There were two kinds of cricketers - one who were scared of losing and took no chances and the other who took risks and were always successful."
When he entered politics, Imran added, he also came across two kinds of politicians - one who sacrificed the public good for their own benefit and the others who thought about society, did not spread hate, and took chances and big decisions as well.
The PM said: "I assure you that we can solve this problem. But determination and big dreams are necessary. Imagine, once trade begins, once our relationship is fixed, how much both nations could benefit."
He also spoke about Navjot Singh Sidhu. He said: "I don't understand why Navjot Singh Sidhu was criticised so harshly when he visited us last."
The premier said that Navjot had accumulated such a large fan following in Punjab that if he ran in elections here, he would win. "I am hoping that we don't have to wait until Sidhu becomes prime minister for there to be peace between India and Pakistan," he added.
The PM also assured Sikh pilgrims that modern facilities would be in place at Kartarpur when they come to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak next year.
Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri also addressed the ceremony "Today, we are at an important point in history. This is where he left the world. I am referring to Baba Guru Nanak," he said. "The Kartarpur gurdwara will be made a state-of-the-art gurdwara," he said.
Indian Punjab Minister of Local Government, Tourism, Cultural Affairs, and Museums Navjot Singh Sidhu in his address said: "India's Constitution says there will be no discrimination on the basis of caste or creed. Baba Guru Nanak said this 549 years ago."
Sidhu said there had been enough bad blood. "The corridor would be a major opportunity to open the doors of peoples' hearts on either side. If the borders between both the countries are opened, it will be possible to transport goods to different parts of Pakistan and even others countries." "This is my hope, this is my dream. While there is blood in my veins, I will continue to thank both the governments," he said.
Another minister from the neighbouring country Harsimrat Kaur Badal also addressed the ceremony. "Today this corridor will bring everyone together. It will bring joy and peace to both the countries. I beseech you to issue postage stamps or coins to commemorate Guru Nanak," he requested. Guru Nanak spent his last years on the other side of the border, just four kilometres away, she said. "At times the chanting of devotees can be heard on the Indian side of the border. We have been so close, but so far for 70 years," she said.
"I have no friends, no relatives here [in Pakistan]. I never thought I would be here," She said. "When we laid the foundation stone [for the corridor] in Indian Punjab, I saw the corridor becoming a reality there and now I am seeing it here."
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi in his address said that "the whole world has welcomed the decision to open the Kartarpur corridor on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. We need to have more steps like this for peace in the South Asian region," he said.
It may be noted that thousands of Sikh devotees from India and other parts visit Pakistan every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. Kartarpur is located in Shakargarh in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, had spent more than 18 years of his life there. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located on the banks of the Ravi River, about three-four kilometres from the border in Pakistan.
The proposal for the corridor has been on the table since 1988 when Pakistan and India agreed in principle to construct a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in India to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan but tense relations between the two countries prevented progress on the plan.
According to the proposal, the Indian government will construct and develop the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab's Gurdaspur district to the border, while Pakistan will build the other part of the corridor connecting the border to the Gurdwara in the Kartarpur Sahib area of Narowal.
Indian Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district earlier this week.
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