India and Pakistan signed an agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur Corridor to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Darbar Sahib.?
For registration of pilgrims, online portal (prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in) has gone live today, an official statement, issued after signing of the pact, said.
The move came after India signed an agreement with Pakistan on Thursday on the modalities for operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor at zero point on the international boundary here.
Border Security Force (BSF) personnel check identity documents of motorcyclists at Dera Baba Nanak, some 50 kms from Amritsar on October 24, 2019. AFP PHOTO
The pilgrims will have to register themselves online on the portal and exercise their choice to travel on any day.
Pilgrims will be informed by SMS and email of the confirmation of registration 3 to 4 days in advance of the date of travel. An Electronic Travel Authorisation will also be generated.
The pilgrims need to carry the Electronic Travel Authorisation, along with their passport, when they arrive at the Passenger Terminal Building here, the statement said.
The Kartarpur corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab with Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province.
As per the agreement, India will send the list of pilgrims to Pakistan 10 days ahead of the travel date. Confirmation will be sent to pilgrims four days before the travel date.
The Pakistan side has assured India of making sufficient provision for 'Langar' and distribution of 'Prasad'.
Laborers work at the sites of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, which will be open this year for Indian Sikh pilgrims, in Kartarpur. REUTERS PHOTO
Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin can use the corridor and the travel will be visa free. Pilgrims need to carry only a valid passport while persons of Indian origin need to carry Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card along with the passport of their country, the statement said.
The Kartarpur corridor will be open from dawn to dusk. The pilgrims travelling in the morning will have to return on the same day and the corridor will be operational throughout the year, except on notified days, to be informed in advance, it said.
The pilgrims will have a choice to visit as individuals or in groups, and also to travel on foot, it said.
The main issue that has been a point of discussion was the insistence of Pakistan to levy USD 20 as service charge per pilgrim per visit.
India has consistently urged Pakistan to not levy any fee on the pilgrims and it was stressed time and again, including in the previous three Joint Secretary level meetings and at the diplomatic level, that this is not in consonance with the religious and spiritual sentiments of Indian pilgrims, the statement said.
India has shared its deep disappointment with Pakistan for its refusal to waive the fee. However, in the interest of the pilgrims and timely operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor before the 550th Prakash Purb, India has agreed to sign the agreement, it said.
While the agreement has been signed, India continues to take up this issue with the Pakistan government to reconsider its insistence on levying the fee. India remains ready to amend the agreement accordingly, the statement said.
(With PTI Inputs)