Kartarpur Agreement Renewal: India urges Pakistan to waive $20 pilgrim fee

KartarpurFollowing the Partition of India in 1947, Kartarpur Sahib ended up in Pakistan.

India and Pakistan, on Tuesday, reached an agreement to renew the Kartarpur corridor for an additional five years. Following the renewal, India has again urged Pakistan to eliminate the $20 fee charged to each Indian pilgrim, stated the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"In view of the continued requests of pilgrims regarding the removal of USD 20 service charge levied by Pakistan per pilgrim per visit, India has once again urged Pakistan to not levy any fee or charges on the pilgrims," noted the MEA in its release.

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, commonly known as Kartarpur Sahib, is one of the most sacred sites for Sikhs, as it is where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last eighteen years of his life preaching. Nearly 300,000 Indian pilgrims have visited the Gurudwara Shri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur since the opening of the corridor nearly five years ago.

Each Indian pilgrim is, however, required to pay a fee of $20 (approximately Rs 1,682), a charge that Pakistan has consistently enforced despite India’s repeated requests for a waiver in consideration of the pilgrims' sentiments. To date, Pakistan has collected approximately Rs 51 crore from this fee, as per a News18 report. Notably, locals visiting the Gurudwara are not subjected to any such fee, states the report.

Commonly known as Kartarpur Sahib, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is one of the holiest sites for Sikhs because it was where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last eighteen years of his life preaching. Following the Partition of India in 1947, Kartarpur Sahib ended up on the Pakistani side of the international border.

With over 95 percent of the global Sikh population residing in India, there has always been a demand for access to this important site located in Shakargarh Tehsil, Narowal District, in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.

On October 24, 2019, India and Pakistan signed an agreement to facilitate Indian pilgrims' visits to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur via the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, initially valid for five years. This agreement has now been extended for another five years.

The Ministry of External Affairs, on Tuesday, stated, “It has been agreed between India and Pakistan through diplomatic channels to extend the validity of the Agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for a further period of five years.”

It further noted, "The Agreement, signed on 24 October 2019 to facilitate the visit of pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, was valid for a period of five years. 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".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to microblogging site X, announcing, “India and Pakistan have renewed the agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for the next five years. PM @narendramodi's government will continue to facilitate our Sikh community's access to their holy sites.”

India and Pakistan have renewed the agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for the next five years.PM @narendramodis government will continue to facilitate our Sikh communitys access to their holy sites. : https://t.co/0fr3WTBhnc
Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 22, 2024

Since the corridor’s reopening following the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Indian pilgrims has been on the rise. In 2022, 86,097 pilgrims used the corridor, and this figure increased to 96,555 in the following year, according to the News18 report. The bilateral agreement mandates that pilgrims travel with a valid passport; however, no visa is required, and the passport is not stamped.