Kartarpur Corridor: Pakistan, India agree on banned items list for pilgrims

The ministry has released a list banned items for the pilgrims visiting the Sikh shrine.

India and Pakistan on Thursday signed an agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur Corridor even as the ticklish issue of a $20 service fee imposed by Islamabad remained unresolved.

The agreement paves the way for the inauguration of the Corridor next month ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, and will enable devotees to visit throughout the year the holy shrine located 4.5 km from the border in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province.
The signing ceremony took place at the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Zero Point, International Border, Dera Baba Nanak.
It marked the end of what Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal described as "very difficult and tough negotiations".  In a tweet, Muhammad Faisal also shared full text of Kartarpur Corridor agreement signed between Pakistan and India.

Text of the Agreement between Pakistan and India for the facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal Pakistan. #pakistankartarpurspirit pic.twitter.com/RMl2wyDy9i
- Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) October 24, 2019

The ministry has released a list banned items for the pilgrims visiting the Sikh shrine. In the agreement, pilgrims will not be able to carry with them WiFi broadband equipment, flags, banners, liquor and any item that challenges the territorial integrity of India or Pakistan. These items have been placed on the list of banned goods for pilgrims.

Under the agreement, the Indian government will inform Pakistan authorities about the list of the pilgrims 10 days in advance and pilgrims will be notified through mail four days ahead of the travel.
The travel will be visa free and the pilgrims will have a choice to visit individually or in groups, and also to travel on foot.
Pilgrims need to carry only a valid passport and Persons of Indian Origin need to carry Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card along with the passport of their country.

The Corridor will be open from dawn to dusk and the pilgrims travelling in the morning will have to return on the same day. The Corridor will be operational throughout the year, except on notified days, which will be informed in advance.

The Pakistan side has assured India to make sufficient provision for 'Langar' and distribution of 'Prasad'.
The main issue that has been a point of discussion is the insistence of Pakistan to levy $20 as service charge per pilgrim per visit, Das said.

Do's
Children below 13 years and elderly persons of about 75 years and above should be kept in group.
Eco-friendly material, preferably cloth bags should be used & surroundings should be kept clean.
Currency limitation of maximum 11000/- INR must be followed.
Only one baggage upto 7 kg weight including drinking water may be carried.
Don'ts
Do not carry any item mentioned in the negative list
Smoking, drinking and use of tobacco is not allowed inside Passenger Terminal Building(PTB) Complex
Do not touch any unattended article. Inform about anything suspicious to the authorities.
Playing loud music and photographing others without permission may not be done.
With inputs from IANS/PTI

• India
• Pakistan