NARO­WAL/SHEIKHU­PURA: The three-day celebrations marking the 549th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak concluded at the Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, federal Minister for Reli­gious Affairs Syed Noorul Haq said the government would issue a coin or postage stamp to pay tribute to Baba Guru Nanak on his 550th birth anniversary next year.

About 5,000 Sikh pilgrims from Pakistan, India, the UAE, Canada and European countries participated in the ceremony at Gurdwara Janam Asthan. They also performed religious rites at Gurdwara Sucha Sauda in Sheikhupura district amid tight security.

Sikh delegation’s leader Sardar Amreet Jeet Singh expressed gratitude to the Pakistan government and district administration for the hospitality extended to the pilgrims.

He stressed the need of an “easy visa process” so that pilgrims from abroad could make visits to the holy sites in Pakistan with relative ease.

Meanwhile, in reaction to the Indian government’s anno­uncement that a corridor would be built up to the border to reach Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, in Shakargarh tehsil in Naro­wal district, the Sikh pilgrims distributed sweets at the gurdwara housing the Samadhi of Baba Guru Nanak. Pakistan had already announced it would open the border for Sikh pilgrims who wanted to visit Kartarpur.

The Indian Sikhs had long been demanding that there should be a corridor leading to Kartarpur, which is just four kilometres from the border.

Both local Sikhs and those from abroad who were visiting the Samadhi of Baba Guru Nanak thanked the governments of Pakistan and India for announcing the corridor.

“This project will end hatred and bring friendship between the two countries,” said Canadian Sikh pilgrim Dr Manohar Lal who had come with his family to perform the religious rites.

The Sikh pilgrims from India, Ranjeet Singh, Gopal Singh and Inderjeet Singh, also thanked the governme­nts of both the countries for planning a corridor, saying that due to this project even the poorest of Sikhs would be able to perform their religious rites as it would cost less and take less time.

In Sialkot, Sikh leader Sardar Jaskaran Singh Sidhu, the caretaker of Babe Di Beri Gurdwara, said the corridor would provide easy passage to pilgrims to visit Darbar Sahib throughout the year.

Minorities MPA Mahinder Pal Singh termed the corridor a step in the right direction which would encourage voices of reason on both sides of the border. The prime minister will lay the foundation stone of the project at Kartarpur on Nov 28.

Sialkot correspondent Abid Mehdi contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2018