ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made for the opening of the Kartarpur corridor on November 9 and said he had renounced the status of the passport for Sikh pilgrims in order to provide them the maximum facilities on the occasion of the celebrations. marking the 550th anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
The leader of the Muslim League of Pakistan, Nawaz Ahsan Iqbal, criticized the prime minister on Saturday for taking a "security risk" by renouncing the condition and said that such a measure had rarely been taken before.
For his part, the leader of the Awami National Party, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, had said that, on the one hand, India was committing atrocities in occupied Kashmir, but on the other hand, Khan was providing unprecedented facilities to Indian citizens.
The president of the Popular Party of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, expressed similar views on Sunday. Speaking to journalists in Bahawalpur, he said the move would make people in occupied Kashmir wonder if Pakistan was "really serious about the cause of Kashmir."
India's fears can "sabotage" efforts made to facilitate Sikh visitors
The prime minister announced Friday that not only had the status of the passport been lifted, but also that of the pilgrims' registration 10 days before their arrival in the Kartarpur corridor.
In chairing a meeting on Sunday to review the arrangements that were being made for the opening of the corridor, the prime minister said that India was not opening the corridor voluntarily and happily.
He also expressed the fear that an attempt could be made from the other side of the border to "sabotage" the efforts being made to facilitate Sikh pilgrims.
Mr. Khan praised his own government for completing the corridor project "in record time."
The runner, he said, was now ready to receive Sikh pilgrims from around the world.
The prime minister said that Sikhs wishing to cross into Pakistan to participate in Guru Nanak's birthday celebrations would only have to prove their identity because they would come from the Indian side after thorough verification and authorization.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the meeting was also attended by the Minister of Religious Affairs, Noorul Haq Qadri, the Minister of the Interior, Ijaz Shah, and the secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs, defense, finance and religious affairs.
After spent negotiations, Pakistan and India signed an agreement last month, paving the way for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor this month.
The four-kilometer long corridor would provide Sikh pilgrims with visa-free travel between Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur and the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in the Gurdaspur district, India. Daily access to up to 5,000 Indian Sikhs would be allowed, with plans to double capacity.
Prime Minister Khan will open the Kartarpur corridor on November 9 for whose ceremony the former Indian cricket star and lawmaker Navjot Singh Sidhu was also invited.
According to media reports, India has shared with Pakistan a list of 575 people who will be part of the first Sikh delegation to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib after passing through the newly built corridor.
Seventy-six immigration counters have been prepared to serve some 5,000 Sikh pilgrims from India. The border terminal has been built 350 meters from the zero point and pilgrims will be transported aboard buses to Gurdwara, where they will be provided with airport-type facilities, according to a media report.
Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is 4.5 km from the international border in Narowal district and is one of the holiest places for Sikhs. It is where Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji was established and preached during the last 18 years of his life and is his last resting place.
Published on Dawn, November 4, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1514718/kartarpur-corridor-ready-to-welcome-pilgrims-says-pm