Amritsar, November 28: Union Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Puri on Wednesday crossed the Wagah border to go to Pakistan to attend the Kartarpur corridor inauguration event. This comes a day after Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu also headed to Pakistan for the even after receiving an invite from Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan. The event is set to take place this afternoon.
After reaching Pakistan, Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, "I feel fortunate to be here as I have been called by my Guru." The same was reiterated by Puri.
There had been doubts over whether any Union Minister would go to Pakistan to attend the Kartarpur event. Sidhu was being flayed by many after he crossed the Attari-Wagah border on Tuesday to attend the event in Pakistan.
"I am the messenger of Guru Nanak. If successful, the corridor will bring peace and harmony," he had said after reaching Pakistan yesterday.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will on Wednesday lay the foundation stone for the much-awaited corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.
Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522. The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, is expected to be completed within six months. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday laid the foundation stone of Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 28, 2018 11:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).