Mohajir leader hails Kartarpur initiative, pitches for opening of Munabao border

Welcoming the decision of India and Pakistan government of opening the Kartarpur Corridor, Voice of Karachi chairman Nadeem Nusrat has advocated initiating a ferry service between Karachi and Mumbai.

He even pitched for the opening of Khokhrapar-Munabao border, so that score of Mojahir's residing in Pakistan could easily visit to their ancestral lands.

"While Indian and Pakistani governments are now willing to open Kartarpur corridor, it is imperative that both governments quickly take steps to open Khokhrapar-Munabao border between India and Pakistan to allow millions of Mohajirs to visit India without the unwanted hassle of travelling through Lahore," he said.

"At the moment, millions of Mohajirs are forcibly deterred from travelling to India due to the additional financial burden of travelling through Lahore," the Voice of Karachi chairman demanded.

He even lashed out at the Pakistan government for spending a large sum on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), whereas numbers of Pakistani citizens, mainly Mohajirs are being denied even the basic right to travel to a country that was once their ancestral homeland.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday, in a landmark decision, on the eve of Guru Nanak Gurpurab, approved building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to India-Pakistan International Border.

Following this, the Pakistan government on Friday announced to open the corridor next year. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while briefing the National Assembly said that the government decided to open the Kartarpur corridor in 2019.

The development of the corridor will facilitate pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi River, in Pakistan, where Shri Guru Nanak Devji spent eighteen years. With this infrastructure development, pilgrims would be able to visit the holy shrine throughout the year.