About the preparations for the birth anniversary, Tara Singh said every year, 25,000 to 30,000 Sikh devotees come to Nankana Sahib from within country and abroad.
CHANDIGARH -The Kartarpur corridor connecting Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal province will open on November 2 and the first group of pilgrims from India will come to Pakistan via the corridor on November 9, said Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) head Tara Singh.
“We request the government of Pakistan to permit Sikh pilgrims to come from Kartarpur to Nankana Sahib without visa restriction,” Tara Singh was quoted by The Express Tribune.
He said the Kartarpur corridor will open before the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the first master of the Sikhs, in November and the ceremonies will be held from November 10 to 12.
“It is our request that the Kartarpur corridor be opened on November 8 or 9 so that Sikh pilgrims can reach Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. It is requested that the same pilgrims be allowed also to visit Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, without visa,” he said.
About the preparations for the birth anniversary, Tara Singh said every year, 25,000 to 30,000 Sikh devotees come to Nankana Sahib from within country and abroad. “However this year, stay and meal arrangements are going to be made for almost 1 lakh Sikh pilgrims. Instead of 3,000, some 10,000 visas will be issued to Sikh devotees from all over the world. This is over and above the pilgrims coming from Kartarpur corridor,” Singh was quoted by The Express Tribune as saying. He said the Sikh community, which is living in the country, will also participate in the events.
For the preparations and arrangements of birth anniversary, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is also being consulted. “It is our desire to work together to make the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak memorable,” he said.
India and Pakistan will hold a new round of talks on July 14 on the opening of a corridor between the two countries. Pakistan had conveyed its acceptance of an Indian proposal to hold a second round of talks on the opening of the corridor. The meeting is to take place at the Attari-Wagah land crossing between the two countries.
Though technical level talks on plans to construct the corridor have been taking place, there have been only one round of discussions on what papers the pilgrims will carry and how many will travel in a group.
