Pakistan on Monday reopened Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims from neighboring India after a months-long closure, the Foreign Ministry said.
The crossing, which was temporarily closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been reopened on the eve of the death anniversary of 18th century Sikh King, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, who ruled Punjab, which is currently divided between India, and Pakistan.
Pakistan reopens Kartarpur corridor for death anniversary of Ranjeet Singh
The first batch of Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan via Kartarpur border to attend the ceremonies in connection with the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh.
Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor in November last year on the occasion of the 550th Birth Anniversary of the founder of Sikh religion, Baba Guru Nanak Devji.
Read more: Pakistan is ready to reopen Kartarpur Corridor on June 29, FO tells India
Baba Guru Nanak had spent the last 18 years of his life in Kartarpur.
“The Kartarpur Corridor is a true symbol of peace and religious harmony. This landmark initiative by the government of Pakistan has been immensely appreciated by the Sikh community all over the world including India,” said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
“As the religious places are gradually opening up around the world, Pakistan has also made necessary arrangements to reopen Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Sikh pilgrims,” the statement added.
Pakistan shows good faith despite terror attacks sponsored by India
Earlier, Pakistan accused India of involvement in the terror attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange compound.
https://twitter.com/ZarrarAnzal/status/1278236921127489537
A statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said “the externally-supported cowardly attack is another manifestation of the state-sponsored terrorism being perpetrated against Pakistan, which is highly condemnable. ”
“The international community must take immediate cognizance of India’s use of state-terrorism to destabilize neighbouring countries,” said Aisha-Farooqui, a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.
Farooqui said that her country already shared with the international community incriminating evidence about the Indian Intelligence Agency RAW’s involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan.
Read more: Indian quadcopter downed by Pakistan army
She rejected the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ comments on Karachi attack and said: “These comments represent nothing but obfuscation and denial. India’s sophistry, however, cannot hide India’s complicity in acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi alleged that the attack has links with sleeper cells activated by India.
Pakistan: the Holy Land for Sikhs across the globe
Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara situated in Narowal district– some 115 kilometers (71 miles) from the provincial capital Lahore — is one of the most revered places for the Sikh community as Baba Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life there.
The distance between Kartarpur and the town of Gurdaspur in India is merely 3 km (2 mi). But the closure of this crossing meant that Sikh pilgrims from India had to travel, hundreds of kilometers to cross the border at Wagah, near Amritsar and then travel to Lahore, to reach Kartarpur.
Read More: World watches Kartarpur Corridor keenly as it brings nations closer
Pakistan’s northeastern Punjab province is home to five most important pilgrimage sites for Sikhs, which include the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469 in Nankana Sahib district, and Gurdwara (monastery) Punja sahib in Hasan Abdal town, where the handprint of Guru Nanak is believed to be imprinted on a boulder at the monastery.
Pakistan to reopen Kartarpur Corridor on Monday | via @IndiaTVNews https://t.co/wZuQX1aEo1
— India TV (@indiatvnews) June 27, 2020
Also, Pakistan is home to several other holy Sikh sites, which attract a large number of community members from all around the world.
The number of Sikhs in Pakistan is estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 out of some 210 million population of this South Asian Muslim country.
Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk
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