NEW YORK: The United Nations on Saturday hailed Pakistan’s initiative to open Kartarpur Corridor; a border corridor between Pakistan and India, connecting the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday welcomed the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, saying the initiative paves the way for interfaith harmony and understanding.
In a historic people-to-people initiative, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday inaugurated the historic corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur.
“We welcome Pakistan and India opening Kartarpur Corridor today connecting two key Sikh pilgrimage sites, paving way for interfaith harmony and understanding by facilitating visa-free cross border visits by pilgrims to holy shrines,” spokesperson for the Secretary General tweeted. Notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over Kashmir, India and Pakistan after tough negotiations signed an agreement last month, paving the way for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor.
Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life at Kartarpur Sahib, which has now become the world’s largest Sikh Gurdwara.
UN spokesperson said that the visa-free border crossing facility for Sikh pilgrims from India will pave way for interfaith harmony.
Meanwhile, “The State Department welcomes the opening of a new border crossing between India and Pakistan, the Kartarpur corridor.” The United States on Saturday welcomed the historic opening of the Kartarpur corridor and described it as a step towards promoting greater religious freedom. US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said that Washington sees the opening of the corridor as a positive example of neighbours working together for their mutual benefit. “The State Department welcomes the opening of a new border crossing between India and Pakistan, the Kartarpur corridor. We see this as a positive example of neighbours working together for mutual benefit.
The newly opened corridor is a step towards promoting greater religious freedom,” Ortagus said in a video posted on her Twitter handle. “It allows Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, an important Sikh house of worship just inside the Pakistan border. This impressive project will transform a remote, three-acre site across a sensitive international boundary. –Agencies
