India and Pakistan on Thursday signed a landmark agreement to operationalise the historic Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Darbar Sahib in this country.
The online portal, for the registration of pilgrims, has also gone live today, an official statement said.
The corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just about 4.5 km from the international border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province.
The agreement signing ceremony took place at the Kartarpur Zero Point at the Pakistan-India border in Narowal, removing a key legal hurdle for the opening of the corridor.
The agreement will allow access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Norowal district of Pakistan where the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life.
Under the agreement, the pilgrims would come in the morning and return in the evening after visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. At least 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit the holy site every day without a visa.
Each visitor would be required to pay USD 20 as a fee, though India has requested Pakistan not to charge the Indian pilgrims.
The agreement was finalised after three rounds of negotiations.
After today's ceremony, the pilgrims, who wish to undertake the Kartarpur pilgrim can register themselves online through a portal and exercise their choice to travel on any day.
Pilgrims will be informed by SMS and email of the confirmation of registration 3 to 4 days in advance of the date of travel. An Electronic Travel Authorisation will also be generated.
The pilgrims need to carry Electronic Travel Authorisation, along with their passport, when they arrive at the Passenger Terminal Building here, the statement said.
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 corridor is likely to be inaugurated by the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, respectively, on November 9.
The foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor on the Indian side was laid in Punjab's Gurdaspur district by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu last November.
(with inputs from agencies)
