PM Imran Khan had promised the Sikh community to complete the project before the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. Khan had declared the Sikh community would be able to enter Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor this year, which incidentally is also the shortest route to their holy sites.
While addressing the ceremony of laying down the foundation of the Kartarpur Corridor, Imran Khan stressed he empathized with the Sikh community who had patiently waited for long to visit their most sacred places in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and Guru Nanak’s Janam Asthan in Kartarpur in the wake of tense India-Pakistan relations.
Mark my words. @ImranKhanPTI is strong candidate for Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to seek peaceful soln to Kashmir dispute, mediation for KSA-Iran peace, facilitating Afghan Taliban -US peace dialog and opening Kartarpur Corridor for Sikhs fm all over world
— Farooq Hameed Khan (@FarooqHKhan) November 9, 2019
Sir, You Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize 💚🙏
Great love & Respect from Sikh Community 💚🙏#NobelPeaceForImranKhan pic.twitter.com/W2FTqIOS9M— Parminder Singh Baagi (@parminderbaagi) March 4, 2019
He added he feels the pain of the Sikh community, citing it would be similar to, Muslims being denied access to visit the holy city of Madina while merely watching it at a distance of 4Km.
Read more: I am not worthy of Noble Peace Prize: PM Khan
The Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, close to the Pakistan-India border, is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism. The Gurdwara is 4km (2.5 miles) from the border with India. Kartarpur Corridor provides a visa-free passage between Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal and Dera Baba Nanak shrine, Gurdaspur India.
Earlier, a similar call for Nobel Peace Prize for Imran Khan was made in March when he announced the release of captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman as a peace gesture to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan.
In February, India and Pakistan returned from being close to a threshold of war after Indian jets violated airspace of Pakistan from LoC Kashmir. Indian and Pakistani Air Force jets engaged in an aerial dogfight that resulted in the downing of two Indian jets and the capture of Indian air force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
Read more: PM Khan nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by a US publication
Abhinandan was released within two days of his captivity in Pakistan. However, after the August 5 decision by the Indian government to revoke article 35-A and article 370 and end the IOK statehood, the Pakistani PM declared he would no longer be interested in having peace talks with Indian PM Modi until the revoking of articles decision was reversed.