575 VVIP pilgrims to go in the inaugural jatha to Kartarpur Sahib
KI Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
Former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri and Harsimrat Kaur Badal, MP’s, MLA’s are among the 575 pilgrims who will attend the inaugural ‘jatha’ to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib through Kartarpur corridor, to be inaugurated on November 9.
India on shared the list of 575 pilgrims to go in the inaugural jatha to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib through the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, government sources said.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarider Singh will lead the jatha to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. They will pay obeisance at the shrine built at the site where Guru Nanak spent the final years of his life and return the same day, as per the agreement signed by both the governments.
Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, while India is constructing the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district up to the border, for devotees. The Kartarpur corridor will facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims.
As per the sources Pakistan based ,Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) with the support of the government of Pakistan has prepared a detailed programme, for the visiting devotees for performing different religious rituals at holy Sikh gurdwaras in Pakistan, particularly Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib.
As per the agreement signed by both the governments, Pakistan will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib where Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life.
“To facilitate the 550th anniversary celebrations, the Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi, will issue additional visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims, above the 3,000 limit allowed under the bilateral protocol for their visit to Sikh gurdwaras in Pakistan from November 5-14,” as per the statement issued.
Earlier, a special ‘jatha’ led by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) visited Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, from July 30-August 1 this year to kick-start the celebrations of the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
