The Indian foreign ministry recently announced that India and Pakistan have reached an agreement to extend the validity of the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor pact for an another five years. This will ensure that Sikh pilgrims from India can continue to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur through the corridor. The first agreement was signed in October 2019 to facilitate the holy pilgrimage for both countries.

India’s Foreign Ministry said, “The extension of the validity of this Agreement will ensure uninterrupted operation of the Corridor for use by the pilgrims from India to visit the holy Gurdwara in Pakistan.”

The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, which connects the Sikh holy shrine of Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan with the Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India, has been used by over 110,670 Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders since its opening in November 2019. This information was shared by the Indian government in parliament in mid-2022.

The opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor in 2019 was on the day of the 550th birth anniversary of GuruNanak. It was opened to fulfil the long-standing demands of the Indian citizens to have easy and smooth access to the holy pilgrimage.

To ease the visit of Indians, India constructed an integrated checkpost on its side of the border. At the same time, Pakistan built infrastructure, including a highway from the town of Dera Baba Nanak to Zero Point, to ease the visit of Indian devotees.

 

Significance of the corridor

 

Kartarpur Gurudwara holds a significant place in the hearts of the Sikh community as it was where the first Sikh Guru, Shri Nanak Sahib spent 18 years of his life. The establishment of the corridor in 2019 was a major diplomatic achievement for India as it allowed Indian Sikhs to visit the Gurudwara in Pakistan.

The agreement also allows people of Indian origin with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card to use the corridor. In the beginning, both countries established a visa-free travel agreement for Indian pilgrims on this route. The deal allows for a maximum of 5,000 visitors per day, with the potential for additional travellers during special occasions if infrastructure improvements are made.

 

Corridor’s Operational details

 

The corridor is open for a full year allowing pilgrims to visit the place in groups or individually except for children and elderly people. Although a visa is not required to travel to the site, an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) document is required, which can be obtained by registering an application at a dedicated website of the Indian government.

The agreement on the corridor came after External Affairs Minister Jaishankar Prasad visited Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting.

The establishment and running of the corridor signifies the efforts by both countries to maintain peaceful religious exchange. However, an extension of the agreement by both countries shows their commitment to helping Sikh pilgrims and fixing transportation problems.