Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced that Sikh pilgrims from India would not need a passport to travel to Kartarpur and no fee would be charged from them on the opening day of the corridor on November 9.
“For Sikhs coming for pilgrimage to Kartarpur from India, I have waived off two requirements: i) they won’t need a passport-just a valid ID; ii)they no longer have to register 10 days in advance. Also, no fee to be charged on day of inauguration and on Guruji’s 550th birthday,” Khan tweeted.
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
Reacting to the development, Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh said that the waiver should be extended to not just “Sikhs but all citizens of secular India.”
Further, in line with India’s long-standing demand, Singh said that the fee should be waived off on “all days instead of just two.”
Happy & grateful for waiver of passport & advance registration conditions for Sikh pilgrims by @ImranKhanPTI govt, but would urge Pakistan to apply this not just to Sikhs but all citizens of secular India. Also urge Pak PM to waive off $20 fee on all days instead of just two.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 1, 2019
The Kartarpur Corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just 4 kilometres from the International Border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
India and Pakistan last week signed the agreement on the Corridor that will allow Indian pilgrims to undertake visa-free visit to the gurdwara, the shrine of the Sikh religion’s founder Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan, notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over Kashmir.
The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit the gurdwara where Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life. Each visitor would be required to pay USD 20 as fee, though India has requested Pakistan not to charge the Indian pilgrims.