Punjab CM urges Pak's Imran Khan to extend token Kartarpur waiver

Hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Kartarpur fees has been exempted for Sikh pilgrims on day of inauguration & on Guru Nanak ji's 550th birthday on Friday, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh urged him to waive it for all visitors. Expressing his happiness, Captain Amarinder said that the waiver should apply on all the pilgrims and not only to the Sikh pilgrims as India is a secular nation. He also urged him to waive off the $20 fee on all days and not only on the day of inauguration. On Friday, Imran Khan also said that the Sikh pilgrims will not need a passport but only a valid ID and that they no longer have to register 10 days in advance.

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Kartapur Corridor agreement signed

Meanwhile, on October 24, India and Pakistan signed a landmark agreement to operationalise the historic Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. The corridor will be opened by Pakistan on November 9. Both the countries have also decided that the corridor will be operational throughout the year and seven days a week and that pilgrims will have a choice to visit it as individuals or in groups. Pakistan has still not waived the $ 20 service fee per pilgrim, which has been criticized by several Indian politicians.

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Kartarpur Corridor

Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India. Both countries have agreed that Pakistan would allow 5,000 Sikh visitors per day into the country through the corridor which will also be the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since their independence in 1947. A long-time demand of Sikhs on both sides of the border, India and Pakistan first held talks in July 2019.

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