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Kartarpur Corridor may become harbinger of Indo-Pak peace initiative: residents

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Kartarpur Corridor may become harbinger of Indo-Pak peace initiative: residents
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A religious corridor linking a revered Sikh shrine on the bank of Ravi river here with India's border district of Gurdaspur has the potential to bring "hope and peace" between the two countries, feels people on both sides of the border on the eve of its ground-breaking ceremony. The foundation stone laying ceremony of the corridor between Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak, and the international border with India will be held at Narowal on Wednesday. Kartarpur Corridor may become harbinger of Indo-Pak peace initiative Kartarpur Corridor may become the harbinger of Indo-Pak peace initiative Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan, senior politicians of Pakistan's Punjab province and a host of top officials will be attending the event at Narowal – around 120 Kilometers from Lahore. The foundation stone of the corridor on the Indian side, from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur to the international border, was laid Monday by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. Kartarpur corridor Foundation stone Events During Sunil Jakhar Heavy Protest foundation stone of the corridor on the Indian side was laid by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday "We have fought a lot in the last 70 years. There was no gain from those fights by either India or Pakistan. It is now time we begin a new journey and the Katarpur corridor has the potential to bring peace," says Abbas Khan, a 60-year-old Pakistan trader, a resident of Narowal. Another Pakistani citizen – Bilal Mohammed - who is from Lahore said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an influential leader and both he and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan can bring changes in the bilateral relations if they want. "It will be a corridor of hope and peace. We must initiate similar efforts to normalise ties between the two countries," he said. Kartarpur Sahib is located across Ravi river in Pakistan and is about 4-km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. The corridor, once built, will give Indian Sikh pilgrims easy visa-free access to the shrine in Kartarpur. Last week, Pakistan and India announced that they would develop the corridor on their respective side of the border to help Indian pilgrims visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. Prime Minister Modi likened the decision by the two countries to fall of the Berlin Wall, indicating that the project may ease simmering tension between the two countries. Elaborate preparations have been made at Narowal for Wednesday's event which will be attended by a host of dignitaries. A large number of security personnel were deployed in and around the venue. Harsimrat Badal Union Minister Harsimrat Badal thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the decision to build Kartarpur Corridor The Indian government has announced that union ministers Hasimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri will represent India at the event. Pakistan has also invited SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal for the event. Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh has declined the Pak govt invitation to attend the Wednesday event but his cabinet minister,India's cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has already arrived in Pakistan on a personal visit to attend the event. Many Indian residents at the Attari-Wagha border also welcomed the move by both the countries to build the corridor in their respective areas. "It has been our demand for a long long time and the governments of both the countries have now decided to roll out the project. We are very happy," said 35-year-old Manjeet Singh. "The corridor will boost tourism and it will be beneficial for us. It will help us economically. The face of the areas may change because of the corridor," said Ranjita Singh, a college student. India had proposed the corridor to Pakistan around 20 years back. India-Pakistan ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place. The ties between the two countries had strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016. A group of 25 journalists from India have been invited by Pakistan for the event.-
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