Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdsapur), Nov 9 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Kartarpur corridor, thanking Pakistan premier Imran Khan for respecting Indian sentiments towards the shrine across the border that marks the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
�I thank Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi,� he told a gathering about 8 km from the Dera Baba Nanak gurdwara, where he later flagged off the first batch of pilgrims to the shrine. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was part of the first jatha of over 400 pilgrims.
Thanking Imran Khan at the meeting at a BSF camp in Shikhaar Masiahan, Modi said, he understood India�s feelings on the Kartarpur corridor issue, gave them respect and worked accordingly. �I also want to thank workers in Pakistan who worked at a fast pace, helping in building the portion of the corridor on their side,� he said.
The corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan�s Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Indian Punjab�s Gurdaspur district, just four kilometres apart across the border.
Before flagging off the first jatha, Modi chatted briefly with Manmohan Singh, who was accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur. Other members of the delegation included Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Union ministers Hardeep Puri and Som Prakash.
The corridor, which allows visa-free access to the shrine where Guru Nanak Dev spent his final years, has been thrown open just ahead of his 550th birth anniversary on November 12. � PTI
