The settlement offers for visa-free journey of pilgrims to holy Kartarpur Shahib Gurudwara in Pakistan.

New Delhi:

Minister of State External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Thursday stated that regardless of the Government of India’s insistence, Pakistan continues to levy charges on the pilgrims who go to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur by way of Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

“Representations have been received to make the visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur through Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor passport-free. However, the Bilateral Agreement signed between India and Pakistan on October 24, 2019 mandates that pilgrims shall travel on a valid passport,” stated MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan.

The MoS made the above remarks in his response to a question by Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal who inquired if the federal government had any plans to make the go to to Kartarpur Sahib passport-free for Sikh pilgrims who needed to go to the holy website from throughout the globe.

The MoS MEA additionally highlighted a number of steps taken to facilitate the go to of pilgrims stating, “The Agreement, inter alia, provides for visa-free travel of Indian pilgrims as well as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders, from India to the holy Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan on a daily basis, throughout the year. To facilitate the visit of pilgrims, a state-of-the-art infrastructure, including a highway from the town of Dera Baba Nanak to Zero Point and an Integrated Check Post (ICP) has been built on the Indian side.”

Despite the request by India, Pakistan continues to cost pilgrims from India for every go to. “The Government of India has consistently urged the Government of Pakistan that in deference to the wishes of the pilgrims, it should not levy any fee or charge on the pilgrims who visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur through Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. Pakistan, however, continues to levy USD 20 on every pilgrim for each visit,” Muraleedharan tells Badal in his reply.

An Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the facilitation of pilgrims to go to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Pakistan, was signed on October 24, 2019, in an effort to fulfil the long-standing demand of Indian residents and Overseas Citizen of India, to have simple and easy entry to the holy Gurudwara and to operationalise the hall in time for the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Since its inauguration on November 9, 2019, Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has been utilized by round 1,70,000 pilgrims to go to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur. Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor stays purposeful on all seven days of the week.

Incidentally, Harsimrat Kaur, Badal, who was a minister within the Modi cupboard at the moment had travelled with the primary delegation of pilgrims that visited the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

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