Opening of Kartarpur corridor step forward in right direction 'from conflict to cooperation', says Pakistan foreign minister

Islamabad: Pakistan said on Friday that the decision to open the Kartarpur Sahib corridor could be a step forward in the right direction from conflict to cooperation, animosity to peace and enmity to friendship. [caption id=“attachment_5597401” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The Foreign Office said in a statement that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while briefing the National Assembly said that Pakistan has decided to open the Kartarpur Corridor for the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019. “The Pakistani proposal to initiate the corridor has also been concurred by India ,” he said. He said the initiative will further facilitate Sikhs, especially from India. “Pakistan’s Kartarpur Spirit can be a step forward in the right direction from conflict to cooperation, animosity to peace and enmity to friendship,” he said. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony of the facilities at the crossing on the Pakistan side on 28 November. Kartarpur is a small town in Pakistan’s Narowal, four kilometres from the Pakistan-India border, where the founder of the Sikh religion Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life. Subsequently, Gurdwara Darbar Sahab was built at the site on the Pakistan side and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak in India, which are visited by thousands of Sikhs every year. The statement said that the opening the corridor will allow Sikh Yatrees ease of access for their most reverential place of worship which has been their longstanding demand. “This is also reflective of the importance and primacy that Pakistan gives to all minorities,” the foreign office said.