Gurdaspur, November 22: President Ram Nath Kovind and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will lay the foundation stone for Kartarpur Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur on November 26. Earlier in the day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, along with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the corridor -- stretching from Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur on the other side of the border -- would be functional in October 2019 on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Responding to India’s request, the Pakistan government has also agreed to build the corridor on its side.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Kartarpur on November 28.  After the completion of the corridor, Khan will likely inaugurate it. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi tweeted confirming Khan's visit to Kartarpur. It his tweet Qureshi said, “Pakistan has already conveyed to India it's decision to open Kartarpura Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarpura facilities on 28th November. We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion.”

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and as well as the opposition party Congress welcomed the Centre’s decision. After his Pakistan visit to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Khan in August, Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that the Pakistan Army Chief assured him of opening the Kartarpur Corridor on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Kartarpur, located 6-km away from the Indian city of Gurdaspur, houses the shrine where Guru Nanak lived in the latter stage of his life.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2018 10:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).