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Updated November 1st, 2019 at 08:30 IST

Imran's face-saver ahead of Kartarpur event, waives fees for 2 days

Pakistan PM Imran Khan has waived off the $20 fees for Kartapur Corridor visit for pilgrims on the day of inauguration and on Guru Nanak's 550th birthday

Reported by: Apoorva Rao
Imran Khan
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Attempting a face-saver, Pakistan PM Imran Khan on Friday announced in a tweet said that he has waived off the $20 fees for Kartapur Corridor visit for pilgrims on the day of inauguration and on Guru Nanak's 550th birthday. In his tweet he said that the devotees visiting Kartarpur will not need a passport. He also said that there is no need to register ten days in advance for the visit.

PM Imran Khan tweets about waiver of $20 fees for two days

"For Sikhs coming for pilgrimage to Kartarpur from India, I have waived off 2 requirements: i) they won't need a passport - just a valid ID;   ii) they no longer have to register 10 days in advance. Also, no fee will be charged on day of inauguration & on Guruji's 550th  birthday," he tweeted.

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The Kartarpur Corridor

The much-awaited corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur, Punjab, with the gurdwara at Kartarpur, just around four kilometres from the international border, located at Shakargarh in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, had spent more than 18 years of his life at the Darbar Sahib gurdwara in Kartarpur, Pakistan, located on the banks of the river Ravi, making it one of the holiest sites for devotees. Spanning over an area of around 2.5 lakh sq feet, the terminal will have a facilitation centre to host government officials responsible for ensuring hassle-free travel of pilgrims, food kiosks, parking areas and security points. 

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India, Pakistan's agreement on Kartarpur Corridor

India and Pakistan had agreed to allow 5,000 pilgrims every day and that additional pilgrims will be allowed on special occasions, subject to capacity expansion of facilities by Pakistan side. India and Pakistan had also decided that the corridor would be operational throughout the year and seven days a week, and that pilgrims would have a choice to visit as individuals or in groups. Both sides agreed to build a bridge on the Budhi Ravi channel. Pending the construction of the bridge on the Pakistan side, both sides agreed to the crossing point coordinates of the temporary service road.

In November 2018, India and Pakistan had agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak. The two sides had planned to open the corridor before the year-long celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev beginning in November

(With PTI inputs)

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Published November 1st, 2019 at 08:15 IST

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