Pakistan and India have signed an agreement to open the Kartarpur corridor, paving the way for the Sikh community to make a pilgrimage to the historical Gurdwara from November 9.
Sikh communities across the world have welcomed Pakistan’s opening of one of the earliest holy places in Sikh religion established by Baba Guru Nanak.
The signing of the bilateral treaty between Pakistan and India – held on Zero Line at the international border – comes amid a tense standoff over Kashmir, where eight million people have been confined to their homes since an August 5 Indian move to deprive the region of its autonomy.
The two South Asian countries have not had any high-level meetings for several months.
The cross-border corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with the Gurdwara in Kartarpur town in Pakistan.
According to officials pilgrims will only have to carry their passports to visit the revered Gurdwara.
Under the accord, the Sikh pilgrims known as “Yatrees” in Punjabi language, will be permitted to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib from morning to evening. As many as 5,000 Yatrees will travel through the corridor, Foreign Ministry spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal said.
There would be a $20 per visitor per visit, as service charges, the official said.
Pakistan is home to some of the holiest places in Sikhism, including the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak.
Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh who hails from a village Gah in the Indian Punjab is one of the invitees to the November 9 inauguration , which coincides with the birth anniversary celebrations of founder of Sikhism Baba Guru Nanak Sahib.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has pursued the agreement as it policy decision.
“Pakistan is all set to open its doors to Sikhs from all across the globe,” Khan recently tweeted.
“The world’s largest Gurdwara will be visited by Sikhs from across India and other parts of the world,” the prime minister said.
