ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for the Baba Guru Nanak University on Monday, weeks ahead of the launch of the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9.
The ceremony in Nankana Sahib, a district in the Punjab province, was attended by Interior Minister Aijaz Ahmed Shah and a coterie of other officials.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Khan said that both Kartapur and Nankana Sahib were important places of worship for Sikhs, adding that irrespective of the relations between Pakistan and India, “we should never stop those who love Guru Nanak, rather we need to facilitate them.”
“This university will be completed with the cost of PKR5 billion. Punjab government has also launched several projects to uplift religious tourism and development of Nankana Sahib at a cost of PKR7 billion,” Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Baba Guru Nanak University at Nankana Sahib on October 28, 2019. (PID)
On Thursday, Pakistan and India signed an agreement for opening the Kartarpur Corridor to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.
The Kartarpur Corridor connects the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India’s Punjab region to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.
PM Khan is scheduled to inaugurate the corridor on November 9. The move is expected to facilitate visa-free travel for 5,000 pilgrims on a daily basis “in groups or individually, on foot or by bus to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Narowal, Pakistan...throughout the year, except on public holidays or for exigencies/emergencies, which will be notified to India in advance,” excerpts from a statement released by Pakistan’s Foreign Office read last week.
“The signing of the agreement, despite the challenging environment is unprecedented and reflective of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s commitment toward facilitating Nanak Naamlevas to visit their most reverential place of worship in line with Pakistan’s Kartarpur initiative and groundbreaking ceremony last year,” it added.
According to the agreement, India will share the list of pilgrims ten days in advance while Pakistan will do so four days ahead of schedule.
