The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to add a religious tourism category to the online visa system for the Sikh pilgrims, applying to visit Kartarpur, the Dawn newspaper reported.
India and Pakistan on Wednesday agreed on visa-free travel of Indian pilgrims to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan using the Kartarpur corridor, officials said.
This is the second such meeting after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status leading to fresh tensions between the two neighbours.
During the meeting, which will take place on the Indian side of the Wagah-Attari Border, the two countries are expected to finalise the draft agreement for opening of the corridor in November for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.
The third official-level meeting between India and Pakistan to decide modalities of the Kartarpur Corridor will take place on September 4 at Attari.
The meeting at the Zero point, where the Indian and Pakistani side of the proposed corridor converge, was attended by 10 to 15 officials from each side, an official of the National Highways Authority of India, who attended the meeting, told PTI.
The meeting comprised of a group of 15 officials from each side, officials said. The Kartarpur Zero point is the point at which the Indian side of the corridor and the Pakistani side of the corridor will be converging.
Pakistan and India are still discussing the modalities regarding the opening of the corridor at Narowal, some 125-km from Lahore, for Indian Sikhs on the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on November 12. The corridor will also be the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since their independence in 1947.
“Sikhs should understand that Pakistan's intentions are bad and they have to be set right first,” he said.
India had called for the meetings to be held to work out arrangements and finalise the alignment of the interim approach road for the Kartarpur corridor, develop a mechanism to share information about pilgrims between nodal points, develop a mechanism to deal with exigencies that arise from the use of the corridor.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday expressed concern over Pakistan's decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India but hoped the move would not affect the construction of the Kartarpur corridor. Amarinder Singh described the neighbouring nation’s action “knee-jerk and uncalled for”.
The corridor that will allow Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan, will be thrown open in November to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, who spent his final days there.
The US has welcomed the construction of the Kartarpur corridor to link two Sikh shrines across the border between India and Pakistan, saying it supports anything that increases people-to-people ties between the two countries.
India flagged its security concerns during a meeting that took place between delegations of the two countries on the Pakistani side of the Attari-Wagah border to discuss the modalities of the Kartarpur corridor.
Pakistan on Sunday agreed in principle to allow visa-free, year-long travel to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara for Indian passport holders and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card holders.
After much pressure from the Indian side, Pakistan on Saturday had dropped the name of pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Singh Chawla from the Kartarpur panel. The Imran-Khan led country, however, included the name of another pro-Khalistani leader Ameer Singh in the panel. The talks between India and Pakistan are slated to be held at the Attari-Wagah border.
The Pakistan government announced a new 10-member Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) on Friday, minus Chawla, following objections from India.
India and Pakistan are slated to hold talks over Kartarpur corridor tomorrow. Just ahead of the talks, Pakistan has dropped the name of pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Singh Chawla from the panel. As per sources, Chawla holds meetings with Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar. He is even believed to have contacts with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The first round of talks was held on March 14 on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah border and the second round is scheduled for July 14 (Sunday) at Wagah, on the Pakistani side.
Experts from India and Pakistan will meet on Sunday at the Wagah border to discuss the draft agreement for finalising the modalities of the Kartarpur corridor and related technical issues, Pakistan Foreign Office said on Thursday.
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