——– Tells visitors about visa-free facili
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that there would be no visa fee for the Sikh pilgrims visiting Pakistan to pay respect to their religious sites, adding that pilgrims would get visa within half an hour.
The Interior Minister welcomed a 44-member American Sikh delegation where he told them about visa on arrival facility extended to the US citizens, stressing that there would be no hassle even if they wanted to visit as many times as they can.
“There will be no visa fee for those arriving in Pakistan.
They can also visit places other than Nankana Sahib, Kartarpur and Hassan Abdal which we will open for them. Few problems still exist which we will remove. The people holding passports from the US, UK and Canada can obtain visa within half an hour after filling an online visa form,” he remarked.
He also told the visitors about visa-free facility given by Pakistan to 124 countries while expressing his desire to welcome as many as one million Sikh devotees.
Moreover, he urged the Sikh community to come to Pakistan alongside other Indian citizens to watch the Champions Trophy matches scheduled to be held in Pakistan in 2025, for which, he said, the government was fixing a quota for Indian people and Sikhs from across the globe.
Earlier, Pakistan has renewed an agreement with India for the facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal for an additional period of five years, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Originally signed on 24 October 2019 for a five-year term, the Agreement is set to complete its initial duration on 24 October 2024. Its renewal underscores Pakistan’s enduring commitment to fostering interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence,” the statement added.
The agreement continues to offer visa-free access to pilgrims from India enabling them to visit the sacred site of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, where Baba Guru Nanak, the revered founder of Sikhism, spent his final days.
Since its inception, the corridor had facilitated the pilgrimage of thousands of worshippers to this holy site.
The Kartarpur Corridor fulfills the long-cherished aspirations of the Sikh community for an access to one of their most revered religious landmarks.
“It reflects Pakistan’s recognition of the importance of safeguarding the rights of religious minorities. The initiative has earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who described it as a “Corridor of Hope”, it was further added.
The Kartarpur corridor is a visa-free crossing allowing Indian Sikhs to visit the temple just 4km (2.5 miles) inside Pakistan where Guru Nanak died in 1539.
The corridor first opened in 2019 for Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary but was closed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The corridor connects Pakistani and Indian Punjab, the birthplace of Sikhism, which was divided between the two countries after they gained independence from Britain in 1947.
Sikhs are a tiny minority in Muslim-majority Pakistan, although many of their religious sites remain there.
ty given by Pakistan to 124 countries
