Sri Sri Ravi Shankar unlikely to accept Pak's invitation for Kartarpur Corridor inauguration

The opening of Kartarpur Corridor is a step forward for the Indian and Pakistani Sikh communities. The corridor is scheduled to be inaugurated tomorrow. The Pakistani government had invited spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to the inauguration. He is unlikely to attend due to prior engagements.

An invitation letter sent to the leader said the opening of the Kartarpur corridor and the promotion of religious tourism coincides with the leader's objective of a Violence-Free World.

Kartarpur, currently in Pakistan is home to the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib where Guru Nanak Dev passed away in 1539. The opening of the said corridor is going to permit direct access to Sikh pilgrims to the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib. The corridor links Narowal district in Pakistan to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur in Punjab, India. The corridor is three kilometres long.

In November last year, foundation stones for the Kartarpur corridor were laid both in India and Pakistan. Both countries are set to conduct inauguration ceremonies tomorrow.

A 550-member Indian delegation including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Harsimrat Kaur Badal are scheduled to visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib using the Kartarpur corridor on Saturday.

Earlier, Pakistan had assured that Indian pilgrims would only be needing to verify their ID proof to use the corridor. Later the PM said that even their passports would need checking to enter into the corridor. However, in latest developments, Pakistan Foreign Office says Prime Minister Imran Khan has waived the condition of carrying passports for Indian Sikhs visiting the shrine for a year.