Modi to inaugurate Indian side of Kartarpur corridor on Nov 8

Formal invitation had been sent to former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to attend the celebrations

Though no date has been fixed by Pakistan, an Indian minister disclosed on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Indian side of Kartarpur Corridor terminal on November 8, the Indian media reported.

Tweets by India’s Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal suggest that the corridor project would be operational before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, which will be celebrated on November 12 this year, as envisaged by Pakistan.

The Kartarpur Corridor will facilitate visa-free access to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib. “On November 8, history will be created with PM Narendra Modi ji inaugurating the Kartarpur Corridor,” Badal said in her tweeted.

With the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Sikh Panth’s ardaas for ‘khule darshan deedar’ of Sri Kartarpur Sahib to finally become reality !
On Nov 8th, history will be created with PM @narendramodi ji inaugurating the #kartarpurcorridor (ICP). 1/2 pic.twitter.com/wBHeTRZcma

— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) October 12, 2019

“With the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Sikh Panth’s ardaas for ‘khule darshan deedar’ (free access) of Sri Kartarpur Sahib to finally become reality!” she said, adding that Modi will inaugurate the integrated check post on the Indian side, according to several Indian news portals.

Last week, Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Indian Punjab had invited President Ram Nath Kovind and Modi to attend the 550th Prakash Purb celebrations of Guru Nanak, including the historic opening of the Kartarpur Corridor.

Kartarpur is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across the Ravi River, about four kilometres from the Baba Nanak shrine. In a major initiative last November, both India and Pakistan had agreed to set up the Kartarpur Corridor.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Indian Punjab and facilitates visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak.

Last month, Pakistani said that the Kartarpur Corridor will be opened for Indian pilgrims on November 9. However, on Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman said the date for the inauguration had not been fixed.



At a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said that the Kartarpur Corridor project was expected to be completed on scheduled time, with work under way on a fast pace. He added that the date of opening was yet to be finalised.

Faisal mentioned that the opening would be on time as committed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that formal invitation had been sent to former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of founder of Sikhism Baba Guru Nanak.

An official of Indian Punjab had said last month Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will lead an all-party group to the shrine on November 9. The chief minister had said that Manmohan Singh would also visit the shrine with the group.