Sikh Yatrees visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur

ISLAMABAD Thousands of Sikh Yatrees arrived in Pakistan from across the world will today (Friday) travel to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur to attend 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.Stringent security measures have been made for the occasion as more than 550 security personnel have been deployed.

More than 300,000 Sikh yatrees will be able to perform their religious rituals after extension of historical gurdwara Kartarpur, Narowal.Evacuee Trust Property Board Secretary Tariq Wazir said that earlier, only 10,000 to 15,000 Sikh yatrees could perform their rituals. He added that the phase one of the project would be completed on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Pakistan keen to finalise pact

On Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal expressed the hope that India would agree to reconvene a meeting of the two countries on Kartarpur corridor agreement so that an accord could be finalised at the earliest.He said that we are keen to hold the meeting to finalise the draft agreement at the earliest … We hope India will agree to hold a meeting, at the earliest.

The Kartarpur corridor links Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan s Narowal with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in Punjab.Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that work is proceeding rapidly on the Pakistani side on the Kartarpur corridor.

“In view of paucity of time, we are keen to hold the meeting to finalise the draft agreement at the earliest. The meeting is specifically to discuss differences related to proposals of both countries for operationalising the corridor and to align positions to build convergence. We hope India will agree to hold a meeting at the earliest,” he said.

Previously in a historical event on November 28, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of Kartarpur Corridor which was also attended by Indian ministers Navjot Singh Sidhu, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri on the invitation of the Pakistan government.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other government officials.On March 7, PM Imran Khan had directed the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) to ensure timely completion of the project on Pakistani side of the border.

The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib.