For Sikhs in Dubai, Kartarpur corridor is a dream come true

DUBAI: Lauding Islamabad and New Delhi’s initiative to construct a corridor which would link two sacred sites between India’s Punjab to Kartarpur in Pakistan, the Sikh community in Dubai said it was a welcome move, with some telling Arab News that they were jubilant on hearing about the news, making it the happiest day of their lives.
Once complete, the Kartarpur corridor will be a cross-border gateway which will allow Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to the shrine of Kartarpur Sahib. It is located in the Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province along the river Ravi, four kilometers from the Indian border.
The shrine was built to commemorate the site where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, stayed after completing his missionary work. He formed a Sikh community there and resided in the place for 18 years until his death in 1539. The Gurdwara is built in the same place where Guru Nanak is said to have died. Its religious significance can be gauged from the fact that Indian Sikhs gather in large numbers for darshans (sacred viewing of the site) using telescopes from across the border.
Chairman of Dubai’s Gurudwara ‘Guru Nanak Darbar’, on his part, said that the corridor would lead to peace and harmony in the region. While speaking exclusively to Arab News, Surender Singh Kandhari said that the Kartarpur corridor will help communities become closer. “I am very thankful for both the countries that they have facilitated the Sikh community’s decades-old wish. “Going to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is a pilgrimage for us. I am glad, now we would be able to visit our Guruji shrine without any difficulty.”
There are an estimated 50,000 Sikhs in the UAE, with a majority residing in Dubai and hailing from Punjab, India. The country is host to a smaller number of Pakistani Sikhs as well. Kandhari said, as soon as the corridor opens, members of the Sikh community in Dubai will also visit Kartarpur. “Now it is a matter of just a few more months,” he said.
T.P. Singh who has been living in Dubai for more than eight years said that the crossing will benefit every from across the world. “In our prayers, we pray to visit the shrine. It is part of our faith. It is a great day for the Sikh community not just in Dubai, but across the world,” he said. Singh, who is from India, said he visited Kartarpur in 1984 and wanted to go again. “I want to take my father who is originally from Gujranwala,” he said.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, along with ministers from an Indian delegation, laid the foundation stone for the construction of the corridor. Hundreds of Sikhs from India and Pakistan participated in the ceremony.
Mahinder Singh who hails from Nankana Sahab in Pakistan said his happiness knew no bounds. “We are thankful to Imran Khan, [Army Chief] General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and [Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh] Sidhuji for taking the first step and making this a reality,” he said.
Singh has been residing in Dubai for more than three years and said that the move would have not been possible without the support of the Indian government. “We are also thankful to our Indian friends and authorities for agreeing to it,” he added.
He added that he has many Indian Sikh friends in Dubai. “When they come to know that I live very close to the holy place, they envy me. They all want to visit holy places in Pakistan,” Singh, who visits Kartarpur on a regular basis, said.
Manmohan Singh from Lahore said that Pakistan should host several more historical and spiritual places of Sikhism. “Whenever I tell my Indian Sikh friends that I am from Lahore and visit Guru Shrine regularly, they are so amazed,” he said.
He runs a business in Dubai and says he’s always wanted to invite his Indian Sikh friends home. “Now we have an excellent opportunity to host them every day. Serving our friends and family, across the border, will be a blessing for all of us,” he said, adding that the Sikhs in Dubai have a very positive perception about Pakistan. “There is no bitterness among us.”
Another Indian Sikh and resident of Dubai, Neeru Singh, said she found the gesture welcoming. “In essence, most people on both sides would welcome any step toward peace and the two nations getting closer, as long as security is not compromised in any way,” she said.
Neeru, whose parents were born in Pakistan’s Punjab, said she always wanted to visit Pakistan. “It is my deep desire to visit Pakistan and get to know the people intimately. My father has always wanted to go back home and see his city, streets, and his school,” she said.

For Sikhs in Dubai, Kartarpur corridor is a dream come true