DUBAI: On Thursday, Sindh’s Tourism Minister Zulfiqar Ali Shah announced the potential development of a religious corridor on the Pakistan-India border in Sindh, akin to the Kartarpur Corridor. This initiative aims to facilitate Hindu and Jain devotees.
Speaking at a tourism promotion event in Dubai, Shah proposed that the corridor could be established in Umarkot and Nagarparkar. Nagarparkar, in particular, is notable for its numerous historical Jain temples.
Shah highlighted the significant interest among Hindu and Jain communities to visit Sindh. He also suggested that the Sindh government could initiate a weekly flight from India to either Sukkur or Larkana to accommodate religious tourists.
Umarkot is renowned for Shri Shiv Mandir, one of the oldest Hindu temples in Sindh. While some claim it dates back over 2,000 years, a local Hindu community leader, in an interview with an international news agency, suggested it could be as old as 5,000 years. Additionally, Nagarparkar hosts several abandoned Jain temples.
Kartarpur Corridor On November 9, 2019, Pakistan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor with India, stretching approximately 4.1 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Pakistan-India border. This corridor significantly reduced the journey for Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.
Previously, Indian pilgrims had to take a bus from India to Lahore and then to Kartarpur, covering a distance of 125 kilometers. The Kartarpur Gurdwara, one of Sikhism’s most sacred sites, is now accessible by crossing the international border without a visa—a significant milestone after more than seventy years since the subcontinent’s partition.
The Gurdwara is the final resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, who spent nearly two decades in Kartarpur during the 16th century before passing away in 1539. The corridor’s inauguration coincided with Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary on November 12.