Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
In a historic move, India and Pakistan signed an agreement on 24 October to operationalise Kartarpur corridor.
The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian Pilgrims daily to visit the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. Each visitor will also have to pay a fee of $20, or Rs 1,400 roughly.
The Gurdwara is built on the site which is believed to be the final resting place for Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. Guru Nanak lived there for 18 years until his death in 1539.
The Quint spoke to some of the devotees about the terms of the agreement.
While some were thankful to both the governments for making this historic move, some others weren’t very happy with the terms and conditions it came along with.
“$20 fees is not that much, but they must make sure that we don’t face any problems. They should also see to it that we get a family pack. No single person should go, and they should make sure people go in groups. They should have packs for families and we should get some other facilities too.”Sukhvinder Singh
Avatar Singh, a shopkeeper, said, “This $20 fee being charged by the government is not right. Its not a tourist place. A rich person can pay, but the poor will not be able to pay the fee.”
As per the agreement, all pilgrims must carry their passports. This criteria made many unhappy because not all of them hold a passport.
“There shouldn’t have been any fees. Pilgrims should have been allowed to show their Aadhaar card and come back on time.”Dushyant Singh, Shopkeeper
Despite the tensions between the two countries, this agreement brought a sigh of relief to thousands of devotees.
Speaking about the security concerns while going on a pilgrimage to Pakistan, Sukhvinder Singh, a devotee said, “My parents who have passed away had visited the place 4-5 times. My son also visited the place. They said there is a lot of love and warmth and very good facilities. There had been no security problems.”
While another Sikh named Dushyant Singh said:
“It is the government’s responsibility to provide security to pilgrims going to Pakistan. It’s entirely the government’s responsibility to maintain security.”
The six-kilometre-long corridor that is supposed to connect the Dera Baba Nanak Shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan is scheduled to be inaugurated by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on 9 November, ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on 12 November.
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