700 cross border for 550th Prakash Parv
Online registration, passport confusion led to low footfall
AMRITSAR/ISLAMABAD:BARELY three days after the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, only 700 Indian pilgrims crossed over to Pakistan to visit Darbar Sahib gurdwara on Tuesday even though Pakistani authorities waived a $20 service fee and doubled the number of pilgrims who can use the facility on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Indian officials cited the online registration process and requirement of passports to register as two major reasons for the low footfall for the corridor, which gives Indians visa-free access to the gurdwara built at the spot where the founder of Sikhism spent the last 18 years of his life.
On Sunday and Monday, as few as 250 and 122 Indian pilgrims went to Kartarpur through the corridor that was thrown open on November 9. Thousands of pilgrims from India and other countries had attended the inauguration ceremony in Pakistan that was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Tuesday, more than 40,000 devotees, who paid obeisance at the Gurdwara Chola Sahib and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Dera Baba Nanak had a glimpse of the Kartarpur gurdwara from the ‘darshan asthan’, a raised platform near the zero line, with binoculars installed by the Border Security Force (BSF). Most of them had no clarity about the documents required to cross over to Pakistan through the corridor.
“This is the first time that 40,000 devotees reached here on Parkash Purab (Prakash Parv). Earlier, nearly 8,000 to 9,000 devotees would pay obeisance on the occasion. This happened due to the opening of the corridor,” said Dera Baba Nanak municipal council president Parmeet Singh Bedi. “Most devotees wanted to cross over with Aadhaar cards. Many had brought their passports along but were not aware about the online registration process. So they had to return after paying obeisance from ‘darshan asthan’.”
MB Sabharwal, a 72-year-old resident of Jalandhar, said: “We learnt through the media that only the Aadhaar card is required to go to Kartarpur. My family was not allowed by security agencies, who said passports and online registration are a must. Like me, thousands of people are being harassed as they are not aware about the procedure.”
Dera Baba Nanak sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Gursimran Singh Dhillon said, “We are appealing to people to apply online first.”
Pakistan’s Sikh minority observed the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on Tuesday, with the main ceremony being held at Gurdwara Janamsthan at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Sikhism’s founder.
Among those who attended the event was interior minister Ejaz Shah. In his speech, he said the Kartarpur Corridor was a great gift from the Pakistan government to Sikhs, and he hoped it would pave the way for peace and friendship in the region.
Pakistan will continue to look after shrines of religious minorities, including the Sikh community, “as best as possible”, he said.
Addressing the ceremony, Punjab governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said government is committed to protecting the heritage of religious minorities. He added that the Pakistani people had “opened their hearts for the Kartarpur Corridor”.
In a message on the occasion, Pakistani Punjab’s chief minister Usman Buzdar said opening of the corridor had rejuvenated the Sikh community and this was a historic step by the government to promote religious harmony.
Indian missions around the world organised activities such as Baisakhi celebrations, photo exhibitions, seminars, screening of documentary films on Guru Nanak to mark the birth anniversary. Special events such as planting of saplings, rendition of kirtans based on the ‘Gurbani’ were also organised.