page_title: Kartarpur Corridor
section_title: Inauguration
hierarchical_section_title: Kartarpur Corridor / Inauguration
caption_attribution_description: English: The Kartarpur Corridor is a border corridor between Pakistan and India integrating the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib ,located in Punjab, India and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Punjab, Pakistan. The corridor is intended to allow religious devotees from India to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur 4.7 kilometres from the Pakistan-India border, without a visa. The artistic creation visible in image is done by the well known Punjabi language poet cum painter Swarnjit Singh Savi.The image presents the concepts spirtual symbols and teachings of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji .Ik Onkar (Gurmukhiː੧ਓ) on the top of the image is the symbol that represents the 'One' supreme reality and is a central tenet of Sikh religious philosophy. Ik Onkar has a prominent position at the head of the Mool Mantar (Main chant) and the opening words of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib the holy book of Sikhs .Golden matelic words visible on the centre of image are part of the ' Mool Mantar . Diagonally displayed musical instrument on the image is the Rabab which was played by Guru Nanak's beloved companion Bhai Mardana for more than 27 years on his travels around the world.
context_page_description: The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing and secure corridor, connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India. The crossing allows Sikh devotees from India to visit the gurdwara in Kartarpur, 4.7 kilometres from the India–Pakistan border on the Pakistani side without a visa. However Pakistani Sikhs are unable to use the border crossing, and cannot access Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side without first obtaining an Indian visa or unless they work there.
  The Kartarpur Corridor was first proposed in early 1999 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan respectively, as part of the Delhi–Lahore Bus diplomacy.
  On 26 November 2018, the foundation stone was laid down on the Indian side; two days later, on 28 November 2018, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan did the same for the Pakistani side. The corridor was completed for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on 12 November 2019.
context_section_description: On 9 November 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan, inaugurated the Kartarpur corridor at a ceremony that was held in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib complex, Kartarpur and around 12,000 pilgrims were present on this ceremony. Imran Khan received the pilgrims and formally inaugurated the Kartarpur corridor by removing a curtain that was lifted by hot air balloons from a huge kirpan (dagger). On the occasion, Prime Minister Khan said "Pakistan believes that the road to prosperity of region  [sic] and bright future of our coming generation lies in peace, saying that today (9 November 2019) Pakistan is not only opening the border but also their hearts for the Sikh community."
  Ahead of Guru Nanak's 550th Prakash Purab celebrations the Kartarpur corridor, connecting Sri Darbar Sahib Dera Baba Nanak in India's Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur was thrown open on 9 November 2019 facilitating the first Jatha (batch) of more than 550 pilgrims to travel to the last resting place of Guru Nanak. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, welcomed the move and compared the decision for the corridor between the two countries to the fall of the Berlin Wall, saying that the project may help in easing tensions between the two countries. During the inauguration speech, he also said, "I would like to thank the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan Niazi for respecting the sentiment of India." Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the pilgrimage and handed over the flag of the Jatha to Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Harpreet Singh.
  Under the leadership of Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jatha traveled through the corridor into Pakistan to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur. The Indian Sikh delegation that included former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol arrived through Kartarpur Corridor to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak and attended the inauguration ceremony on the special invitation from Pakistani Prime Minister Khan.
  Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, speaking on the occasion, thanked both governments for corridor. Navjot Singh Sidhu in his speech said that Prime Minister Khan had won the heart of Sikh community by opening the corridor. He mentioned that Alexander III of Macedon won the heart of people by fighting, while Khan won hearts of many Sikhs around the world by giving access to their holy land Kartarpur. Earlier, however, the Indian government's denial of political clearance to Sidhu to visit Pakistan for the Kartarpur inauguration had snowballed into a last-moment controversy. Poetry about Guru Nanak from Allama Iqbal's Bang-e-Dara was also read by former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh and also by Pakistani speakers at inauguration.
caption: Entrance of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor (or Nanak Marg) from Dera Baba Nanak side of Indian border
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