Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Kartarpur corridor, which will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district with Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan. In an address to a gathering at the Dera Baba Nanak shrine, Modi thanked his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan for understanding Indian sentiments and cooperating with the Indian administration in the project.

The prime minister flagged off the pilgrimage of the first group of more than 500 devotees, which included former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The first “jatha [batch]” of pilgrims entered Pakistan through the corridor. Following the inauguration, Modi spoke to Singh and others who attended the event.

Modi, who landed in the city of Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district earlier in the day, paid his respects at the Gurdwara Ber Sahib. He inaugurated the newly constructed passenger terminal building, which is known as the Integrated Check Post.