India, Pakistan sign agreement to operationalise Kartarpur Corridor
LAHORE/DERA BABA NANAK: India and Pakistan on Thursday signed a landmark agreement to operationalise the historic Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties.
The corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just about four km from the international border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
The agreement signing ceremony took place at the Kartarpur Zero Point at the International Border, removing a key legal hurdle for the opening of the corridor.
S C L Das, Joint Secretary in the Union Home Ministry signed the pact on India’s behalf while Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal signed the agreement from Pakistan’s side.
Speaking to the media after the signing of the agreement, Faisal said Prime Minister Imran Khan had fulfilled his promise and completed the corridor in a year.
Online registration of devotees began soon after the signing of the agreement.
The agreement will allow access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Norowal district of Pakistan where the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life.
Under the agreement, the pilgrims would come in the morning and return in the evening after visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. At least 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit the holy site every day without a visa.
NEW DELHI: Pilgrims who wish to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan will be allowed to carry a maximum of Rs 11,000 and a 7-kg bag, and will not be allowed to venture beyond the shrine. According to the "do's and don'ts" issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, children below 13 years and elderly persons of about 75 years and above will have to travel in groups. Eco-friendly material, preferably cloth bags, should be used during the pilgrimage and the surroundings should be kept clean.
The pilgrims will travel in the morning and shall have to return the same day.
All pilgrims who propose to visit Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan, will have to register online (prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in) in advance and the applicant is required to register himself/ herself in advance of proposed date of travel. Registration does not confer a right to travel, the Home Ministry said.
Applicants who will be granted permission may be informed only four days before the proposed date of travel. Therefore, applicants will have to make their travel arrangements in advance.
The pilgrims will be allowed to visit only Sri Kartarpur Sahib and not anywhere outside.
Currency limitation of maximum Rs 11,000 must be followed, the home ministry said, adding only one baggage up to 7 kg, including drinking water, may be carried.
Smoking, drinking and use of tobacco is not allowed inside the passenger terminal building (PTB) complex at the Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district in Punjab.
The pilgrims were advised to not to touch any unattended article and inform about anything suspicious to the authorities. Playing loud music and photographing others without permission is not allowed.
Pakistan will levy USD 20 as service charge per pilgrim for each visit.
A 10-member panel –Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Executive Committee (KSCEC) –has been constituted under
the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner-cum-chief administrator, Dera Baba Nanak (DBN) Development Authority, Punjab, to cordinate and facilitate the day-today functional aspects of Dera Baba Nanak-kartarpur Sahib corridor.
Sri Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, had spent more than 18 years of his life at the gurdwara Kartarpur, located on the banks of the river Ravi.
A state-of-the-art passenger terminal with facilitation centre to host government officials responsible for ensuring hassle-free travel of pilgrims, food kiosks, parking areas and security points will come up by November 8 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the muchawaited Kartarpur corridor.