KARTARPUR, Pakistan — Pakistani officials say visa-free border crossing for Sikh pilgrims from India will be ready by early November, allowing thousands of pilgrims to easily visit a Sikh shrine just inside Pakistan each day.
The Pakistani project director, Atif Majid, said all arrangements will be in place before Nov. 9, a rare sign of co-operation between Islamabad and New Delhi amid heightened tensions over the Kashmir region.
Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, settled in what is now Pakistan’s Kartarpur. The shrine was built after he died in the 16th century.
Many Sikh holy sites were left in Pakistan after the British partitioned the subcontinent into separate nations in 1947 following two centuries of colonial rule.
Sikhs often gather on bluffs to view the site from the Indian side.
The Associated Press
