Pakistan invites Sikh community to invest in commercial projects along Nankana-Kartarpur Corridor

Pakistan has offered all amenities and facilities to the Sikh community settled across the globe to invest in Kartarpur Corridor and make the area between Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib unprecedented and historic.

The offer was made by visiting Governor of Punjab, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, while talking to the Sikh community at Guru Gobind Singh Sabha in Southall, West London on Thursday.

"The opening of (Kartarpur) Corridor after 70 years is splendid and we feel the heart-touching sentiments and pleasing moments of Sikh community at this affectionate occasion", Sarwar emphasised. "Sikhs are our brothers and sisters, Pakistan is already supporting and helping them and taking extra care to look after the Gurdawaras in all over the country, especially the Nankana Saheb," he added.

The Punjab Governor also appreciated the gesture of the Indian government and said that this would not have had happened if New Delhi would not have expressed reciprocal response.

Both the countries have set the foundation of goodwill and friendship and the opening of the Corridor is, in fact, the fulfilling the wishes of 120 million Sikh community, he noted.

Sarwar also said the Pakistan government will meet all expenses of development of both religious places and connecting corridor.

"The opening of the corridor is a triumph of Baba Guru Nanak, who is the leader not only of Sikh community but also of Muslims and Hindus as he is the leader of international repute. We would like to develop Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur on the same level and pattern so that the younger and future generation should not feel any difference between the two holy places. There is no shortage of land in Nakana Saheb, so I personally, and on behalf of the Pakistan government, invite the Sikh community-based in Britain and other countries to invest in educational, hotel and business industries. Thus they can serve their own community and simultaneously can also avail huge profit out of their investments," the Governor Punjab offered.

Sarwar also expressed a wish to establish Guru Nanak University in Nankana Saheb to spread the teachings of Baba Guru Nanak.

"We shall celebrate his 550th anniversary in a befitting manner and I shall spend the whole day there as it would be a memorable and remarkable day," Sarwar added, while promising to meet all suggestions and genuine demands of Sikh community, including the visa extension from two to four weeks and increase in quota of pilgrims on emergency basis.

Meanwhile, President of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sabha, Southall, Gurmail Singh Malhi and Vice President Sohan Sigh Samra, along with other Sikh leaders expressed gratitude to Sarwar for his offer and promised that the Sikh community as a whole will support every project aimed to serve these two places.

"This corridor will bring Sikh nation and Pakistan more closely", they commented.

In November last year, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur Corridor along the India-Pakistan border, allowing Sikh pilgrims direct access to the historic Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, where Guru Nanak Dev died in 1539.

The construction of the corridor will facilitate lakhs of pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of river Ravi in Pakistan, where Guru Nanak Dev ji spent 18 years of his life.