Kartarpur Corridor to open on Nov 9: PM.

Islamabad -- Pakistan will open the much-awaited Kartarpur Corridor on November 9, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Sunday.

The proposed corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Indian Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib.

Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India.

'Pakistan is all set to open its doors for Sikhs from all across the globe, as the construction work on Kartarpur project enters final stages and will be open to public on November 9, 2019,' Imran Khan said in a Facebook post, clearing the air on whether the corridor will be open on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev next on November 12.

'The world's largest gurdwara will be visited by Sikhs from across India and other parts of the world. This will become a major religious hub for the Sikh community, and will boost the local economy, result in earning foreign exchange for the country creating jobs in different sectors including travel and hospitality,' Imran Khan said.

'Religious tourism is on the rise in Pakistan, earlier Buddhist monks visited various sites for religious rituals

followed by opening of Kartarpur Corridor,' he added.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has accepted his invitation to attend the Kartarpur corridor inauguration ceremony as 'a common man'.

While addressing a press conference in Sialkot on Sunday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor near Shakkargarh-Sialkot on Nov 9 in connection with the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Jee.

She said Pakistan was providing complete religious freedom to all its minorities, especially the Sikh community. She said Pakistan won the hearts and minds of the Sikh community around the globe by completing the grand project of Kartarpur Corridor. Dr Firdous said the government had started the religious tourism in Pakistan by opening doors to the Sikh community globally.

WORK ENTERS FINAL STAGE

The Kartarpur Corridor will provide visa-free access to...