Corridor signals thaw in Pakistan-India relations
237 views · Published 4 December 2018 · 3:03 · Indexed 28 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(28 Nov 2018) Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday attended a ground breaking ceremony for the first visa-free border crossing with India, a corridor that will allow Sikh pilgrims to easily visit their shrines on each side of the border. The crossing - known as the Kartarpur corridor - is a rare sign of cooperation between the rival nuclear-armed countries. Khan used the occasion to again call on India to work together to overcome the bitterness of the past and resolve issues through dialogue to eliminate poverty in both nations. The crossing was a Khan initiative and India last week gave the green light for construction to begin. Instead of visas, the pilgrims will be given special permits to access their shrines - the Dera Baba Nanak in India's Punjab province and the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal border district in its own Punjab province. Wednesday's ceremony was attended by hundreds of Sikh pilgrims as well as two lawmakers from India and officials from both countries. "The reason I want friendship and a strong relationship with India is because the subcontinent is facing the most poverty in the world, if we want to finish or reduce poverty in our region we need to open our borders for trade," Khan told those gathered. India's own cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu said at the ceremony that he is grateful to Khan and the government in New Delhi for taking "this positive step" that will help Sikhs on both sides of the border reach their shrines. "After a long time of disconnection once again people are connected. And I am thankful to the Indian government and Prime Minister Imran Khan that they are making this happen again," he said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/0f89d1b930b9d8769a4edb131d3f13a6
