LAHORE: A meeting of the coordination council between federal and provincial departments was held on Saturday, as Pakistan is all set for opening the Kartarpur Corridor in November.
Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Dr Amir Ameer, ETPB Secretary Tariq Wazir Khan as well as Additional Secretary of Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony Muhammad Daud also participated in the meeting along with Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) Sector Commander Brigadier Atif, deputy collector customs, officials from Punjab police, higher-ups of specials branch and different officials from intelligence agencies.
Sources said that the meeting took stock of the distribution of work and the role of different departments regarding the Kartarpur terminal.
Sources also said, “It was decided in the meeting that a total of 5,000 Sikh yatrees will come to Kartarpur on a daily basis between the Azan-e-Fajar to Azan-e-Maghrib. The FWO will responsible for the repairing and maintenance of the terminal and they also provide transportation to the pilgrims. Their buses will provide pick and drop services to and from a special point.”
“The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) and ETPB will look after the arrangements of food, residence and medical facilities for all yatrees,” sources said, adding that the cost of food that will be consumed in one day was estimated at about Rs1 million.
“The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) will be vigilant to thwart any smuggling attempts, and special counters to stop narcotics have also been established at the terminal,” sources added.
“The staff of immigration and passport office, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) and Pakistan Customs will also be appointed at the Kartarpur terminal.”
“The Pakistan Rangers will see the security arrangements on a permanent basis, whereas the internal security of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur will be handled by the ETPB security guards,” sources concluded.
ETPB Spokesperson Amir Hashmi said that the ETPB is all set for the arrangements of Sikh Yatrees and we are also coordinating with the PSGPC.
While talking to Pakistan Today, Dr Amir Ameer said, “The meeting was held two days ago in which the role of each department was described. The ETPB will fulfil its responsibilities by hosting the Sikh yatrees. We have completed almost all the arrangements.”
