The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa also attended the groundbreaking of four-kilometer long Kartarpur Corridor performed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday.
“It’s a step towards peace which our region needs. Barbed wire at borders is measure by a sovereign state to check/deny illegal crossings. Corridors & Gates are for legal peaceful visitors. So is the case for all our neighbors”, the COAS said according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The Kartarpur Corridor will connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur area of Pakistani Punjab’s Narowal District with Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur District.
The Chief Minister of Pakistani Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, the Railway Minister Sheikh Rasheed, the Religious Minister Noor Ul Haq Qadri, the Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and other government officials also attended the event.
The visiting Indian Minister for Food Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Indian Minister for Housing Hardeep S. Puri, the former Indian Cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, Indian Journalists and foreign diplomats were also present in the groundbreaking of Kartarpur Corridor.
Meanwhile talking to media in Islamabad before leaving for Kartarpur earlier in the morning, the Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said that the groundbreaking of Kartarpur Corridor is a monumental event which will open many opportunities for both Pakistan and India.
Dr Faisal said that this was the initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan which was widely appreciated including the people in India. He said that the corridor will facilitate the Sikh pilgrims to visit their holiest sites in Pakistan.
The Spokesperson said that the construction of the corridor will stand completed before the next birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in November.
Our High Commissioner & Deputy Chief of Protocol welcome the Indian Federal Ministers at Wagah today. Indian High Commissioner also present. #PakistanKartarpurSpirit pic.twitter.com/iEMgTqJNaD
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@DrMFaisal) November 28, 2018
The journey begins. We move towards the peace which has remained elusive. A huge success for #Pakistan. A dream coming true for the Sikhs #Kartarpur #Islamabad#PakistanKartarpurSpirit pic.twitter.com/ZeL9PFAqip
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) November 28, 2018
The world comes together for the #Pakistankartarpurspirit – diplomats attending the groundbreaking ceremony by PM #ImranKhan#Babagurunanak#Peacecorridor pic.twitter.com/PYTcsIDr1w
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) November 28, 2018
Pakistan will build the Corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district upto the border will be constructed by India.
It will facilitate the Sikh pilgrims visiting their most sacred sites in Pakistan.
The initiative for opening the corridor was taken by Pakistan which was later endorsed by the Indian side.
