Kartarpur corridor deal renewed for five years

FO describes it as show of commitment to interfaith harmony

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has renewed its agreement with India for another five years, allowing Indian pilgrims to continue visiting the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur through the visa-free corridor.

Initially signed on October 24, 2019, the agreement was set to expire on October 24, 2024. Ahead of this deadline, Pakistan's Foreign Office announced the renewal on Tuesday, ensuring that the pilgrimage to this sacred Sikh site will continue without interruption.

"The Government of Pakistan has announced the renewal of the agreement between the Republic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan" for an additional period of five years," read a Foreign Office statement.

"Its renewal underscores Pakistan's enduring commitment to fostering interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence," it added.

The corridor offers visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to visit the holy Gurudwara, where Baba Guru Nanak, the revered founder of Sikhism, spent his final years. Since its opening, the corridor has enabled thousands of worshippers from India to make the pilgrimage.

"The Kartarpur Corridor fulfils the long-cherished aspirations of the Sikh community for access to one of their most revered religious landmarks," the FO said.

The FO said it reflected Pakistan's recognition of the importance of safeguarding the rights of religious minorities.

The initiative has earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, who described it as a "corridor of hope".

The Kartarpur initiative was the first visa-free corridor established between Pakistan and India. Earlier, pilgrims had to take a longer route to visit the Kartarpur shrine and endure many bottlenecks to obtain a visa.

The opening of the corridor has allowed pilgrims to visit their holy shrine without any hassle.

It was dubbed the "corridor of peace" when it was inaugurated in November 2019.

It was initially hoped that the opening of the visa-free Kartarpur Corridor would ease tensions and promote people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan.

The inauguration ceremony saw prominent leaders from both sides in attendance, with then-premier Imran Khan opening the corridor and former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, along with politicians like Navjot Singh Sidhu, representing India.

However, the full potential of the corridor has not been realised, as India imposed stringent restrictions on its pilgrims, limiting their access to the site.

Despite these challenges, Pakistan's decision to renew the agreement for another five years signals its ongoing commitment to facilitating the pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib for Indian visitors.

 

The renewal came just days after Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar visited Islamabad for the SCO summit. Although no formal bilateral talks took place, Jaishankar informally interacted with his Pakistani counterpart and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The visit concluded without incident, as both sides avoided blame-trading during the conference.