Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pak can promote people to people contact: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while participating in the Gurupurab celebrations on Friday, said that Kartarpur Corridor could be a reason to connect people, adding that the incidents of 1947 should be left behind.

He further said that if the Berlin Wall, which restricted the relationship between the people of East and West Germany could be pulled down, then the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan can also promote people to people contact.

The Prime Minister who attended Guruparb Kirtan Darbar at Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal`s residence in the national capital said, "When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I ordered to re-construct the sacred place where Guru Nanak`s "padukaon" kept had got damaged due to earthquake in the State. Today, it has become a site of "World Heritage". With the blessing of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Kartarpur Corridor is not only a corridor, it also could be a reason to connect people."The Prime Minister offered `ardaas` (prayers) to Guru Grant Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs and sat to listen to gurbani during his visit.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister greeted the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti and recalled teachings of the Sikh Guru.

In a landmark decision, on the eve of Guru Nanak Gurupurab, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to India-Pakistan International Border.

Following which the Pakistan government on Friday decided to open the Kartarpur corridor next year on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while briefing the National Assembly today, said that the government decided to open the Kartarpur corridor in 2019, an official statement said.

The development of the corridor will facilitate pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi River, in Pakistan, where Shri Guru Nanak Devji spent eighteen years. With this infrastructure development, pilgrims would be able to visit the holy shrine throughout the year.