India again urges Pak not to levy $20 Kartarpur pilgrim fee

Keeping the Sikh pilgrims' sentiments in mind, India has decided to go ahead with the Kartarpur agreement with Pakistan. The development has come since the Pakistani government has been insisting on levying the $20 (Rs 1,420) fee on the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara pilgrims from India.

New Delhi:"Disappointed" as Pakistan insists on $20 service fee per Kartarpur pilgrim, India on Monday again urged the neighbouring country to reconsider to levy the fee and conveyed that it would be ready to sign the agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on October 23, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Noting that the government has consistently urged Pakistan that it should not levy such a fee in deference to the wishes of the pilgrims, an MEA statement said that "Pakistan continue to insist on levying a service fee of $20 per pilgrim per visit".

India said it is a matter of "disappointment" when understanding has been reached on most of the elements for facilitating the visit of pilgrims from India.

In view of the long pending demand of the pilgrims to have visa free access to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib and in the interest of operationalisation of the Corridor in time before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev -- the founder of Sikhism -- falling on November 12, the statement said, "the government has today conveyed that we would be ready to sign the Agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on October 23".

"While agreeing to sign the Agreement, the government of Pakistan has been once again urged to reconsider its insistence to levy service fee on pilgrims. India would be ready to amend the Agreement accordingly at any time," said the statement.

The statement said that the Indian government has taken the initiative to put in place the state of art infrastructure and open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on the auspicious occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev so that the pilgrims from India and those holding Overseas Citizen of India Card can undertake visit to the holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, currently in Pakistan.

Pakistan has retained the $20 fee for every pilgrim from India visiting the Kartarpur Gurudwara, where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.

Every day 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit the holy site.

The 4.2 km-long corridor from the Indian side in Dera Baba Nanak area in Punjab's Gurdaspur district will be completed by October 31, a week before the celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province is located 4.5 km from the border near Dera Baba Nanak.