Pakistan and India signed the agreement on Kartarpur Corridor - the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since their independence in 1947 - on Thursday at Kartarpur Zero Line to permit the intending Sikh pilgrims visit Baba Guru Nanak's shrine on his 550th Birth Anniversary in early November
KARTARPUR (Pakistan Point News / Online - 24th October, 2019) Pakistan and India signed the agreement on Kartarpur Corridor - the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since their independence in 1947 - on Thursday at Kartarpur Zero Line to permit the intending Sikh pilgrims visit Baba Guru Nanak's shrine on his 550th Birth Anniversary in early November.The special significance is the fact that a bilateral treaty is being signed when bilateral relations are at an all-time low and no high-level meetings between the two sides have been held.
While there have been several agreements between the two sides, very few have been signed by them. In 1974, a Bilateral Agreement on Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines was signed.The last disagreement between the rival states was the $20 service fee that Pakistan wanted to charge from every pilgrim as a service fee for a single trip. India, initially denied it; however, later agreed to it reluctantly.Meanwhile, Pakistan has been currently working out a mechanism for charging the $20 fee from the pilgrims.
The spokesperson said a mechanism has been evolved for the visits of pilgrims to Gurdawara Darbar Sahib. He said the pilgrims would be permitted to visit the Gurdawara Kartarpur Sahib from morning till evening. He said full details of the Kartarpur agreement would be shared after its signing.Responding to a question about Pak-India agreement, FO spokesperson stated that they were fully ready to make functional the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on their side. "We will also share clause by clause details after signing of the Agreement with you", he added.Replying to a question about participation from India, Dr Faisal said, "We are working on the invitations for the inauguration of Kartarpur sahib Corridor".Reportedly, construction process and painting of the shrine has been completed and electricity has been supplied to the site from Shakar Garh's grid station.
