US welcomes inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor between India, Pakistan

"@StateDept welcomes the opening of a new border crossing between #India & #Pakistan, the Kartarpur corridor. This corridor is a step towards promoting greater #religiousfreedom. Best wishes to the pilgrims making the crossing for the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak’s birth," US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus tweeted.

Amid tension between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday thanked his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan for taking steps to construct the Kartarpur corridor and "understanding India's thoughts".

Modi also thanked the Congress-led Punjab government for its cooperation to make the corridor.

With the inauguration of the corridor, 550 Indian pilgrims will be able to visit the Gurdwara in Pakistan-occupied Punjab.

India has signed the agreement with Pakistan on Oct 24, 2019 on the modalities for operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Zero Point, International Boundary, Dera Baba Nanak.

It may be recalled, the Union Cabinet passed a resolution on Nov 22, 2018 to celebrate the historic occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji in a grand and befitting manner, throughout the country and across the globe.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar has informed that the Indian pilgrims as of now will only require passport to visit the Gurdwara as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Prime Minister also paid obeisance at Ber Sahib Gurudwara in Sultanpur Lodhi.