Across the border

The Kartarpur Corridor, to be inaugurated next week, is the first visa-free crossing point between India and Pakistan. The corridor, essentially a road allowing Sikh pilgrims to travel four to seven kilometres into Pakistan and visit the Darbar Sahib shrine at Kartarpur in Shakargarh, will connect Sikh shrines in Indian Punjab and Pakistan, and essentially allow Sikhs to visit the place where Guru Nanak, the founder of the religion, spent 18 years of his life and where his grave is located on the occasion of his 550th birthday which falls on November 12. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced that the pilgrims will not require a passport, will no longer have to register 10 days in advance and fees will be waived on the day the Kartarpur Corridor is inaugurated. Pakistan has also invited former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to travel to Pakistan on this important occasion.

The corridor and its opening signifies what relations like India and Pakistan could, and arguably should, be like. The countries share a great deal in terms of history, culture and religion and for the people separated by the border, arrangements which allow more exchanges, permit families to reunite and simply enable visits for pilgrimage and tourism are important. In India, a few peace activists are already suggesting that India reciprocate the step by making similar arrangements for pilgrims from Pakistan to visit locations of religious importance such as the shrine Ajmer Sharif and other sites.

The idea for the Kartarpur Corridor has hovered for some time. It was first proposed in 1999 when prime ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mian Nawaz Sharif put forward the proposal of a bus traveling between Lahore and New Delhi. Unfortunately, after this period the Kartarpur Corridor appeared to largely go into hibernation. Credit goes to Imran Khan and his government for reviving it. The physical location of the corridor will be on the India-Pak border at Narowal, and its setting up indicates how much can quite easily be achieved to create a more harmonious relationship between the two nations should the government in New Delhi come around to accepting that it cannot afford to engage in a constant state of antagonism with Pakistan. Sikh leaders have of course welcomed the idea. There are many other extremely important Sikh holy places in Pakistan and the gesture is as such of immense importance to both countries. We hope it will be continued well into the future without disruption.