Kartarpur Corridor struggles to yield results

Three years have passed since officials from the Indian and Pakistani governments met at the zero point on the International Border to sign an agreement to open the Kartarpur Corridor – a 2.5-mile-long yatra road meant to heal the long-festering rifts between the two neighbours.

The move significantly minimised the bureaucratic maze for the Sikh community who enthusiastically celebrated the visa-free access to the gurdwara — a “gateway to the guru”—   as their longstanding desire to be able to visit one of their holiest sites, the last resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, was fulfilled at last.

However, three years on, it appears that the corridor continues to be haunted by lingering tensions and mutual mistrust, limiting its ability to yield fruits as desired in 2019. To make matters worse, the incumbent PML-N-led government has shown little or no appetite at all to refresh the long-term project.

According to the agreement between Pakistan and India, 5,000 members of the Sikh community from across the border were to travel to visit the Gurdwara on this side of the fence every day. However, the number of arrivals through the corridor in the last three years has been disappointing.

Till July this year, only 1,10,670 Indian citizens have come to the holy site through the corridor.

Members of the Sikh community have cited India's passport requirements and difficult registration process as the reason for the low numbers, while the $20 entry fee required by Pakistan is also a major reason for the decrease in the number of Indian pilgrims.

When the then-premier Imran Khan offered the olive branch of peace to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there were hopes that the opening of the corridor was the most positive development for people-to-people contact.

Modi even went to the extent of equating the corridor with the ‘fall of the Berlin Wall’ – a historic event that signalled the end of the Cold War.

On the contrary, many bemoan the attitude of mistrust of the Modi-led government towards the corridor since the very first day signed the agreement amid increasing pressure from the Sikh populace.

Meanwhile, on this side of the fence, many point to a shift in attitude after the end of Imran Khan's government, criticising the current government's lack of interest in the project.

Since the project was initiated by his political rival Imran Khan, sources added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also refrained from visiting the site to date despite many invitations from his own party members who hail from the area.

Therefore, completion of the phase-II of the project and the Zero Line bridge face an inordinate delay.