Pakistan has renewed its agreement with India, allowing pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur through the visa-free corridor for another five years. Initially signed on October 24, 2019, the agreement was set to expire this year but has now been extended, the Foreign Office confirmed on Tuesday.
“The Government of Pakistan has announced the renewal of the Agreement between the Republic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan, for an additional period of five years,” said the Foreign Office statement.
The agreement continues to provide visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to visit one of Sikhism’s most revered sites, where Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, spent his final years. Since its launch, the corridor has seen thousands of Sikh worshippers making the pilgrimage, fulfilling a long-cherished aspiration.
“The Kartarpur Corridor fulfills the long-cherished aspirations of the Sikh community for access to one of their most revered religious landmarks,” the Foreign Office added, noting that the renewal highlights Pakistan’s commitment to promoting interfaith harmony and protecting the rights of religious minorities.
The initiative has been widely praised, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres previously calling it a “Corridor of Hope.”
The corridor, first opened in November 2019, was lauded as a “corridor of peace,” aimed at easing tensions between the two neighboring nations and enhancing people-to-people contact. The inaugural ceremony was attended by prominent leaders from both countries, including Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Imran Khan and India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
However, the full potential of the corridor has yet to be realized, as restrictions imposed by India limited the number of pilgrims able to visit.
The renewal of the agreement reflects Pakistan’s continued interest in facilitating religious pilgrimages, coming shortly after Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad for the SCO summit. While no formal bilateral meetings took place, the visit marked a positive interaction between both sides.
