Kartarpur Corridor

The Kartarpur Corridor, also known as the corridor of 'international peace and harmony, is a 4.2-km-long protected passage through which pilgrims from India can visit the sacred Darbar Sahib in Pakistan without any Visa.

This landmark was accomplished after India and Pakistan endorsed an agreement in 2018 for the Indian Sikh community to visit their religious pilgrim site effortlessly.

Kartarpur Corridor - Overview

During the India-Pakistan partition, the Line of Control (LOC) split the region of Punjab into two territories, one of which stayed in India, and the other territory became a part of Pakistan's boundaries.

Therefore, many people from the Sikh community could not visit the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara without owning a tourist visa, even though this spiritual place was simply 4 kilometres away from Indian boundaries.

A historic agreement was signed between India and Pakistan to build the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, which links Darbar Sahib Gurdwara, situated in Narowal district in Pakistan, with the Dera Baba Nanak sanctum located in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur Corridor Establishment

Below are some points you must know about the establishment of the Katarpur Corridor:

• The Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib was founded by Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, in 1522.
• In 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Indian Prime Minister, and Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Prime Minister, proposed this passage under the Delhi-Lahore bus diplomacy.
• The Government of Pakistan sanctioned the construction of the Kartarpur corridor in 2018.
• Venkaiah Naidu, former Indian Vice President, established the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor on November 26, 2018. Furthermore, two days after, on November 28, 2018, Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, laid the foundation of the Kartarpur corridor.

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Kartarpur Corridor - Significant Features

Some of the significant features of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor are as follows:

• The Kartarpur Corridor agreement will guarantee a visa-free journey for Indian pilgrims.
• A list of sanctums and religious sites has been selected under the established 1974 Protocol on Visits to Holy Shrines, according to which Pakistani and Indian citizens can visit the individual nations and their religious sites.
• The deal will remain valid for five years, and either of the two countries can end it by serving a notification period of a month.
• This corridor can be deemed a route to peace between adjacent nations.
• The Pakistani government has consented to arrange the distribution of prasad in the Gurdwara premises and adequate provision for langar.
• The Indian government will take care of all the necessary infrastructure, including the route and the passenger terminal facility and the timely completion and inauguration of the corridor.
• Some of the travel conditions to be followed include:
• Pakistanis cannot travel by the corridor; only Indians or overseas citizens can.
• People of all ages can register to apply (including children and the elderly).
• Registration for a second visit can be done after 15 days of travel by the corridor.
• Registration can be done online. Indian citizens must have a copy of their passport size photograph and scanned copies of the first and last page of the passport. OCI Cardholders should have OCI Card details.

The construction of the Kartarpur corridor was completed on the event of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, on November 12 2019, and the first batch of Indian pilgrims visited this sacred pilgrim site on that day.

FAQs on Kartarpur Corridor

Q.1. What is the Kartarpur Corridor?

The Kartarpur Corridor is a protected passage through which pilgrims from India can visit the sacred Darbar Sahib in Pakistan without any Visa.

Q.2. When did the Kartarpur corridor work get sanctioned?

The Government of Pakistan sanctioned the construction of the Kartarpur corridor in 2018. Venkaiah Naidu, former Indian Vice President, established the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor on November 26, 2018. Furthermore, two days after, on November 28, 2018, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, laid the foundation of the Kartarpur corridor.

Q.3. When did the Kartarpur corridor construction got completed?

The construction of the Kartarpur corridor was completed on the event of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, and the first batch of Indian pilgrims visited this sacred pilgrim site.

Q.4. For how long will the Kartarpur corridor remain valid?

The Kartarpur corridor will remain valid for five years, and either of the two nations can end it by serving a notification period of a month.

Q.5. When did the Government of Pakistan sanction the Kartarpur corridor construction?

The Government of Pakistan sanctioned the construction of the Kartarpur corridor in 2018.