On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has began a visa-free corridor to allow Indian religious devotees to access a holy site in Kartarpur, Pakistan’s Punjab province.
The temple, known as Gurdwara Durbar Sahib, is reportedly the first temple ever built and the resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak who was worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims.
He is said to have spent his final days in this small village and when he passed away in 1539, the people were unsure of whether he should be buried, like in the Islamic tradition, or cremated, as Hindus would do.
Therefore, the Kartarpur temple was built over his final resting place. There is a Muslim grave and a Hindu samadhi (shrine). The place of worship has become the holiest sites for Sikhs. However, Sikhs are unable to access the location due to the strict international border between India and Pakistan. Thus, Sikhs have to pay tribute to Guru Nanak by viewing the temple through binoculars, even though it is just five kilometres away.
The two countries have now agreed to launch a cross-border travel, naming it the “corridor of peace”. It aims to connect the Kartarpur temple to the Sikh holy shrine at Dara Baba Nanak In India. A major and historical event for both neighbour countries that stay divided since 1947.
An Indian press release has said: “This corridor will be a historical landmark between India and Pakistan and will also boost tourism as more pilgrims would visit the holy shrine throughout the year between two countries”.
Today, the road’s first foundation stone will be laid in Pakistan. Officials have said that the corridor will be complete for the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak’s birth, in November 2019.
“We want to move forward in our relations with India”, Imran Khan has said. “There have been mistakes on both sides [in the past], but we will not be able to move forward until we break the chains of the past. The past is there only to teach us, not for us to live in”.
“If France and Germany who fought several wars can live in peace, why can’t India and Pakistan”.
#Peace.Love.Kartarpur
