NEW DELHI – Pakistan has prepared an initial draft of Kartarpur agreementwith India with a proposal to cap visa-free travel of 500 pilgrims per dayand with certain riders.
According to the draft, which Islamabad will soon present to New Delhi,pilgrims will have to carry Indian passport and security clearance fromIndia. India will have to share with Pakistan details of pilgrims andsecurity clearance certificate 3 days prior to their entry through theKartarpur corridor.
It is also proposed that the pilgrims must constitute a group of 15 peopleand the corridor will be open from 8 am to 5 pm. Both sides will becreating a database of pilgrims having names, travel history.
The Indian side is still to receive the 59-page draft.
The draft also says that “Pakistan reserves the right to refuse entry,reduce the period of stay or terminate the stay in its territory of anypilgrim despite grant of permit” if it considers “the pilgrim is foundundesirable for security or other purpose”.
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In case of a dispute, it will be “amicably settled between parties throughthe diplomatic channel”. Any side can terminate the agreement any time bygiving one month notice. The agreement also does not affect the existingcommitments on border security.
On November 22, India’s cabinet passed a resolution to celebrate the 550thBirth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji in 2019 and approved the building ofKartarpur Corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur District till theborder.
On the same day, Delhi informed Islamabad through Pakistan’s HighCommission in Delhi its decision to build Kartarpur Corridor and urgedPakistan to develop a corridor in their territory from the InternationalBorder to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib.
