India, Pakistan renew Kartarpur Corridor pact for 5 years

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) – India and Pakistan Tuesday renewed the Kartarpur Corridor pact for the next five years, an Indian External Affairs Ministry statement said.

The statement noted the agreement, signed on Oct. 24, 2019, to facilitate the visit of Sikh community pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, in Narowal, Pakistan, through the Kartarpur Corridor was valid for a period of five years.

The extension of the validity of the agreement “will ensure uninterrupted operation of the Corridor for use by the pilgrims from India to visit the holy Gurdwara in Pakistan,” it added.

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government “will continue to facilitate our Sikh community’s access to their holy sites.”

Located some 115 kilometers (71 miles) from Pakistan's main city Lahore, the shrine known as Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara is one of the most revered places for the Sikh community as it hosted Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, for 18 years.

New Delhi has urged Islamabad to waive off $20 "service charge levied by Pakistan per pilgrim per visit," the statement said.