Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Friday, announced that the country has waived off several requirements for Sikh pilgrims from India visiting Kartarpur shrine. "They won't need a passport—just a valid ID. They no longer have to register 10 days in advance. Also, no fee will be charged on the day of inauguration and on guruji's 550th birthday," he wrote on Twitter.
For Sikhs coming for pilgrimage to Kartarpur from India, I have waived off 2 requirements: i) they wont need a passport - just a valid ID; ii) they no longer have to register 10 days in advance. Also, no fee will be charged on day of inauguration & on Guruji's 550th birthday
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 1, 2019
The decision by Pakistan to retain a $20 (more than 1,420 INR) service fee on the pilgrims visiting the shrine had raised eyebrows in India. The move, which came despite India's protests, was necessary to cover the operational costs of the corridor, Pakistan claimed. The shrine would be open to people all faiths.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the state-of-the-art Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab on November 9, formally opening the Kartarpur Corridor connecting two historical gurdwaras on either side of the India-Pakistan border for pilgrims.
The prime minister will also address a public meeting nearly three kilometres from the building after the inauguration, following which he will attend the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak being organised at Sultanpur Lodhi.
The much-awaited corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur, Punjab, with the gurdwara at Kartarpur, just around four kilometres from the international border, located at Shakargarh in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province.
Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, had spent more than 18 years of his life at the Darbar Sahib gurdwara in Kartarpur, Pakistan, located on the banks of the river Ravi, making it one of the holiest sites for devotees.
Spanning over an area of around 2.5 lakh sq feet, the terminal will have a facilitation centre to host government officials responsible for ensuring hassle-free travel of pilgrims, food kiosks, parking areas and security points.
Both countries had agreed to allow 5,000 pilgrims every day and that additional pilgrims will be allowed on special occasions, subject to capacity expansion of facilities by Pakistan side.
India and Pakistan had also decided that the corridor would be operational throughout the year and seven days a week, and that pilgrims would have a choice to visit as individuals or in groups.
Both sides agreed to build a bridge on the Budhi Ravi channel. Pending the construction of the bridge on the Pakistan side, both sides agreed to the crossing point coordinates of the temporary service road.
In November 2018, India and Pakistan had agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak.
-Inputs from PTI
