KARACHI/DUBAI: A provincial minister in Pakistan has proposed the idea of opening a Kartarpur-like religious corridor in areas of Sindh province bordering India to allow Hindus and Jains to visit their historical religious sites in the country. .
Sindh Tourism Minister Zulfikar Ali Shah made this proposal while addressing an event in Dubai on Wednesday related to promotion of tourism in Sindh province, where most of the Hindu population of Pakistan resides.
Shah said that the corridor can be built in Umerkot and Nagarparkar.
Umerkot is home to the Shri Shiva Temple, considered one of the oldest Hindu temples in Sindh. Some people believe that it was constructed more than 2,000 years ago.Nagarparkar also has many abandoned Jain temples, where a large Hindu population lives.
He said that a large number of Hindu and Jain people want to visit religious places in Sindh.
A Sindh government spokesperson confirmed that Tourism Minister Shah had discussed the possibility with officials of his department.
"Zulfikar Ali Shah mentioned it in a speech in Dubai yesterday because he has talked to his departmental officers about it. But nothing is final yet because obviously it is a federal government matter," the spokesperson said. .,
To facilitate religious tourists, Shah also proposed to start a weekly flight from India to Sukkur or Larkana.
The governments of Pakistan and India ran a train service, the Thar Express, until August 2019, connecting the border towns of Munabao in Rajasthan with Khokhrapar in Sindh province.
The service was reopened in 2006 during the tenure of late President Pervez Musharraf after being closed for several years. It was the only rail link between Sindh and Rajasthan.
The Government of Pakistan opened the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019 which is about 4.1 kilometers from the Pakistan-India border.This corridor is regularly used by Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur – one of the most sacred sites for followers of Sikhism as it is the final resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. , who died after living in 1539. In the city of Kartarpur for about two decades in the 16th century.
Hindus are the largest minority community in Pakistan.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, there are more than 90 lakh Hindus living in the country.
Some of the major Hindu temples in Pakistan include Param Hans Ji Maharaj Samadhi (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Hinglaj Mata Temple in Hingol National Park in District Lasbela of Balochistan, Katas Raj Complex in District Chakwal of Punjab and Prahlad Bhagat Temple in District Multan of Punjab. Are.The Evacuee Property Trust Board (E), a statutory board, manages the religious properties and temples of Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after Partition.
Sindh Tourism Minister Zulfikar Ali Shah made this proposal while addressing an event in Dubai on Wednesday related to promotion of tourism in Sindh province, where most of the Hindu population of Pakistan resides.
Shah said that the corridor can be built in Umerkot and Nagarparkar.
Umerkot is home to the Shri Shiva Temple, considered one of the oldest Hindu temples in Sindh. Some people believe that it was constructed more than 2,000 years ago.Nagarparkar also has many abandoned Jain temples, where a large Hindu population lives.
He said that a large number of Hindu and Jain people want to visit religious places in Sindh.
A Sindh government spokesperson confirmed that Tourism Minister Shah had discussed the possibility with officials of his department.
"Zulfikar Ali Shah mentioned it in a speech in Dubai yesterday because he has talked to his departmental officers about it. But nothing is final yet because obviously it is a federal government matter," the spokesperson said. .,
To facilitate religious tourists, Shah also proposed to start a weekly flight from India to Sukkur or Larkana.
The governments of Pakistan and India ran a train service, the Thar Express, until August 2019, connecting the border towns of Munabao in Rajasthan with Khokhrapar in Sindh province.
The service was reopened in 2006 during the tenure of late President Pervez Musharraf after being closed for several years. It was the only rail link between Sindh and Rajasthan.
The Government of Pakistan opened the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019 which is about 4.1 kilometers from the Pakistan-India border.This corridor is regularly used by Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur – one of the most sacred sites for followers of Sikhism as it is the final resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. , who died after living in 1539. In the city of Kartarpur for about two decades in the 16th century.
Hindus are the largest minority community in Pakistan.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, there are more than 90 lakh Hindus living in the country.
Some of the major Hindu temples in Pakistan include Param Hans Ji Maharaj Samadhi (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Hinglaj Mata Temple in Hingol National Park in District Lasbela of Balochistan, Katas Raj Complex in District Chakwal of Punjab and Prahlad Bhagat Temple in District Multan of Punjab. Are.The Evacuee Property Trust Board (E), a statutory board, manages the religious properties and temples of Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after Partition.
