Sidhu visiting Pak to pay obeisance at historic Sikh shrine

Congress leader and former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday reached here to pay obeisance at the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan.

He along with others headed towards the Integrated Check Point.

Earlier, Sidhu was allowed by the government to accompany the Sikh 'jatha' that will travel to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan via the Kartarpur Corridor.

The Ministry of External Affairs had, however, denied Sidhu the permission to travel to Pakistan via Wagah. Pakistan had extended Sidhu the first invitation for the event and had even offered him a visa.

The 'jatha' will travel to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, a holy shrine of the Sikh religious community in Pakistan, using the corridor which will be thrown open for the first time later in the day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, also known as Darbar Sahib Gurdwara, is believed to have been built on the site where Guru Nanak died in the 16th century. It is going to be linked with the 4.2 km-long Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

After inaugurating the corridor, Modi will dispatch the first lot of pilgrims to visit Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan's Punjab province on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev that falls on November 12.