CHANDIGARH: Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 tourists, the Kartarpur corridor remains open, though the number of Sikh pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, has reportedly declined. This comes even as the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari on the Indo-Pak border in Amritsar stands shut.
The ICP at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, which facilitates access to the Kartarpur corridor, continues to operate, allowing pilgrims to cross over.
Sources in the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) confirmed that around 250 pilgrims travelled to Kartarpur on Wednesday to pay obeisance at the gurdwara and returned the same evening, as per the corridor’s day-return policy.
Devotees continued their visit on Thursday as well, with a group of about two dozen from Machhiwara near Ludhiana and another 50 from various places crossing the border in the morning.
However, the Union government has yet to clarify whether the corridor will remain open or face closure like the ICP at Attari. The shrine is of immense spiritual significance to Sikhs, as Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh guru, spent the last 18 years of his life there and passed away at the site.
The fully air-conditioned terminal near Dera Baba Nanak features over 50 immigration counters. According to LPAI records, 10,025 devotees visited the gurdwara via the corridor in 2021, with the number rising to 86,097 in 2022 and 96,555 in 2023.
Inaugurated on 9 November 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the corridor is a visa-free border crossing that allows Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders to visit the gurdwara, located 4.7 km from the India-Pakistan border, without requiring a visa. The corridor was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened after a gap of one and a half years in November 2021.
As per the bilateral agreement, up to 5,000 pilgrims are allowed to use the corridor daily, but actual footfall remains low, averaging 200 to 400 visitors per day. Pilgrims must register online at least a week in advance with their passport details to receive an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Police verification is carried out prior to the issuance of ETA.
In October 2023, both nations extended the corridor agreement for five more years until 2029, committing to uninterrupted access despite deteriorating diplomatic relations.
Interestingly, Pakistan charges a USD 20 fee per pilgrim at its ICP, generating substantial revenue from the visiting devotees. “In view of the continued requests of pilgrims regarding the removal of USD 20 service charge levied by Pakistan per pilgrim per visit, India has once again urged Pakistan to not levy any fee or charges on the pilgrims,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs last year. Several Sikh delegations have also urged the Indian government to press Pakistan for a waiver.
Last year, Pakistan completed the 420-metre-long bridge at the Kartarpur Corridor zero line after a delay of two and a half years. Earlier, incidents of flooding had disrupted pilgrim movement to Kartarpur Sahib.