What better gift to the Sikhs on the eve of Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Sahib than the public announcement that the Kartarpur Sahib corridor will soon be a reality as announced by the Indian government’s cabinet decision. The prayers of the Sikhs since decades has been answered and Sikhs look forward with tears in their eyes and prayer on their lips to going barefoot on the corridor path to the house of Guru Nanak.

On the eve of the Parkash Purab -birth anniversary celebration of the founder of the Sikh faith, First Master Guru Nanak Sahib, in a rather unexpected announcement, likely to send a wave of sympathy and acknowledgement amongst the Sikhs for the Bharatiya Janata Party government, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a statement to the media has announced that the Indian cabinet has agreed to open the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

Gurinder Singh Bajwa, who has been conducting Ardas -prayers for opening of the corridor from Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, where Guru Nanak Sahib spent more than 12 years of his life has welcomed the move. Speaking exclusively to the World Sikh News on the phone, Gurinder Singh Bajwa said, “Since April 2001, we have been conducting Ardas -prayers, every month without a break, seeking the blessings of Akalpurakh so that the two governments agree to this long-felt desire of the Sikh community.

He further told WSN that the Pakistan government has agreed long back but the Indian government has either been dilly-dallying since decades. It is good that they have now agreed to take up the project on the eve of the threshold of the 550 year celebrations of Guru Nanak’s advent in this world.

Significantly, Gurinder Singh Bajwa had gone to Darbar Sahib Amritsar for the success of his mission which is extremely gratifying for the Sikhs.

The government of India would be laying the nearly one kilometre track from Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak to the Indo-Pakistan border and the Pakistan government would be laying a nearly four kilometre road from the border to the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

As elections of 2019 come calling, it is expected that the government of India will complete all formalities, requiring the ascent and relocation of military camps in the area pretty soon whereas it may take some time more for the Pakistan government which has more work to do on the project.

The Pakistan government has announced that the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan will lay the foundation stone of the Pakistan side of the corridor on 28 November 2018.

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal has welcomed the decision of the BJP government, with which the Shiromani Akali Dal has an electoral alliance.

The Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chowdhary has welcomed the Indian government’s decision and called it a victory of the peace lobby in both the countries.

Undoubtedly, this will be a slap on all those who ridiculed Navjot Singh Sidhu who embraced the Pakistan army general Qamar Javed Bajwa who offered to speed up the work of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor. Sidhu must be amused ear to ear as he has had the last laugh.

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It will be a red letter day in the history of the continent when the two Punjabs join hands, even if through a corridor.