Kartarpur Corridor: India, Pakistan allow visa-free access to Sikh shrine

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Kartarpur, visa-free, Sikh pilgrims,  India,  Guru Nanak Dev, Punjab, Pakistan, visa, Kartarpur Corridor

The travel will be visa free and the pilgrims can visit individually and also in groups.

By AP/IANS

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Published: Thu 24 Oct 2019, 11:50 AM

Last updated: Fri 25 Oct 2019, 2:32 AM

India and Pakistan on Thursday signed the a rare agreement for the Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian pilgrims to visit the holy shrine throughout the year.
The agreement paves the way for inauguration of the Corridor next month ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. The signing ceremony took place at the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Zero Point, International Border, Dera Baba Nanak.
The agreement was signed by officials of the two countries who shook hands at a land border point in India's northern Punjab province where nearly 80 per cent  of India's nearly 25 million Sikhs live.
Instead of visas, the two countries plan to give special permits to pilgrims to access the shrine through a corridor built on both sides of the border.
Sikh founder Guru Nanak settled in what is now Pakistan's Kartarpur. The shrine was built after he died in the 16th century.

The travel will be visa free and the pilgrims can visit individually and also in groups. Under the agreement, Indian government will inform Pakistan authorities about the list of the pilgrims 10 days in advance and pilgrims will be notified through message of mail four days ahead of the travel.
The 4.2km-long corridor from the Indian side in Dera Baba Nanak area in Punjab's Gurdaspur district will be completed by October 31, a week before celebrations begin to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The corridor is likely to be inaugurated by the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Imran Khan respectively, on November 9.

Everyday, 5,000 Indian pilgrims will be allowed to visit the holy site. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province is located 4.5 km from the border near Dera Baba Nanak.


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