Explained: What is the Kartarpur Corridor Project

New Delhi, July 03: A release was issued by the Pakistan foreign office agreeing to India's proposal for a joint secretary level meeting between July 11 and 14 at Wagah to finalise the Kartarpur corridor.

Work on the passenger terminal, a four lane highway and a bridge across the Ravi floodplain has begun on the Indian side. India is keen that Pakistan allows Persons of Indian Origin apart from Indian passport holders to visit the historic shrine. Pakistan has so far only agreed to allow Indian passport holders to visit the shrine.

What is the Kartarpur Corridor project. Here is a brief explainer:

What is the Kartarpur Corridor Project:

It is a corridor between India and Pakistan connecting the Sikh shrines of Deraba Baba Nanak Saheb, in India and Gurdwara Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan. The corridor is intended to allow the devotees from India to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur, 4.7 kilometres from the India-Pakistan border whiteout a visa.

When was it proposed:

This project was first proposed in 1999 by the then prime ministers of India and Pakistan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif. The foundation stone was laid on the Pakistan side on November 26 2018, while on the Indian side, it was laid two days later.

When will it be completed:

The corridor is proposed to be completed in November 2019 before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

How do devotees travel currently:

Currently the devotees take a bus to Lahore, which is a 125 kilometre journey. This is despite the fact that people on the Indian side of the border can physically see the Gurdwara on the Pakistan side.