Sindh govt mulls Kartarpur-like religious corridor with India

DUBAI: Sindh Tourism Minister Zulfiqar Ali Shah Thursday said a Kartarpur-like religious corridor could be established on the Pakistan-India border in the province to facilitate devotees of the Hindu and Jain faith.

Addressing an event in Dubai related to the promotion of tourism in Sindh, Shah said the corridor could be built in Umarkot and Nagarparkar, among which the latter houses multiple historical Jain temples.

He apprised that there were legions of Hindus and Jains willing to visit Sindh.

Shah suggested that the Sindh government could commence a weekly flight from India to Sukkur or Larkana as well for the religious tourists.

Umarkot is home to Shri Shiv Mandir, which is considered one of the oldest Hindu temples in Sindh. 

Some people believe it was constructed more than 2,000 years ago. But in an interview to an international news agency, a local Hindu community leader claimed was as old as 5,000 years.

Meanwhile, there are numerous abandoned Jain temples in Nagarparkar.

Kartarpur Corridor

The government of Pakistan on November 9, 2019, had inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor with India which stretched about 4.1 kilometers, or 2.5 miles, from the Pakistan-India border.

The corridor marks a significant reduction in journey for Sikh pilgrims who wanted to visit the the sacred temple — Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.

The pilgrims from India would have to opt for alternatively — a bus from India to Lahore and then to Kartarpur, which makes the journey a whopping 125 km long.

The Kartarpur Gurdwara is one of the most holiest and sacred sites for followers of the Sikh faith and, with the corridor's opening, it has been accessible by crossing an international border and without a visa — a major feat after over seven decades of the subcontinent's partition.

It is the final resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, who died in 1539 after living in the Kartarpur town for almost two decades in the 16th century.