Strict entry procedures for Indian pilgrims arriving at the Kartarpur corridor have further compounded the problem, as weakening bilateral ties with India have already reduced the attractiveness of peace-building measures.
The Kartarpur corridor, a 4.7-kilometer driveway connecting Pakistan’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Narowal district to India’s Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district, was begun in 2019 to facilitate visa-free entry into Pakistan of up to 5,000 Indian pilgrims per day so that they may fulfil their religious obligations at the Sikh shrine on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Devji.
Unfortunately, the programme has not been successful in increasing the number of Sikh pilgrims, who number only a few hundred per day due to the stringent entry criteria enforced by both Pakistan and India.
Sardar Amir Singh, president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, said, “India expects all the travelling pilgrims to possess a passport before allowing them entry into Pakistan.” This strict documentation requirement, in Sardar Amir Singh’s opinion, discouraged many devoted Sikh pilgrims from making the journey to the shrine.
A representative of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in India agreed, saying, “Similarly, Pakistan has imposed a 20 dollar entry fee on all Indian pilgrims, which withholds many low-income families from paying their visits to the shrine.” They also agreed that removing the mandatory condition of passport, citizenship verification, and other documents could improve the influx of pilgrims.
The Project Management Unit of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib reports that between November 17, 2021, and August 31, 2023, a total of 680,381 pilgrims visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, with only 152,577 coming from India and roughly 511,698 coming from Pakistan.
Both countries opened the corridor to fulfil a long-held wish of the Sikh community, according to Surendra Khokhar, a senior journalist and researcher on Sikh history; however, due to disagreements between the political governments of the two countries, the Kartarpur corridor has not yet been able to attract large numbers of Indian pilgrims.
To improve the flow of pilgrims through the corridor, both governments must permit family visits. Khokhar said that families should be able to visit the shrine following significant life events like as marriage or a child’s initiation ceremony.
Kartarpur’s Project Management Unit (PMU) spokesman told The Express Tribune, “the passport condition and the 20 dollars fee were mutually agreed upon by the two countries under a five-year agreement signed in October 2019, which both countries are bound to implement.”
