Appeal to Imran Khan to withdraw fee of Rs 1,400 from Kartarpur pilgrims: Punjab CM
Chandigarh, Oct 18: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to waive-off the proposed USD 20 (around Rs 1430) fee per pilgrim to visit Kartarpur Sahib.
With much-anticipated Kartarpur Corridor project set to be completed by the end of October, India said that Pakistan's proposal of charging USD 20 (around Rs 1420) fee per pilgrim remains the bone of contention for both sides.
"I
appeal
to
@ImranKhanPTI
to
withdraw
$20
fee
imposed
by
@pid_gov
on
pilgrims
to
Kartarpur
Sahib
to
faciliate
'khulle
darshan
deedar' of
the
final
resting
place
of
SRI
Guru
Nanak
Dev
Ji.
The
world
Sikh
community
will
be
grateful
to
you
for
this
gesture,"
Singh
tweeted.
Pakistan had last week handed over to India its final draft agreement for the Kartarpur Corridor. The draft agreement was handed over to the Indian high commission in Islamabad last Friday.
Construction of the 4.2 km-long corridor is likely to be completed by 31 October. Pakistan is building the corridor from the border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, where Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life.
The
other
part
from
Dera
Baba
Nanak
in
Punjab's
Gurdaspur
district
up
to
the
border
will
be
constructed
by
India.
Earlier
in
October,
Union
minister
Harsimrat
Kaur
Badal
criticised
Pakistan's
insistence
to
charge
a
service
fee
of
USD
20
from
pilgrims
to
the
Kartarpur
Sahib
Gurdwara
and
compared
it
with
''jaziya''.
"Pakistan
insists
on
levying
a
fee
of
USD
20
on
all
pilgrims.
We
have
urged
Pakistan
not
to
do
so
in
the
interests
of
devotees,and
also
because
this
is
a
P2P
initiative.
We
hope
that
the
Agreement
can
be
concluded
&
signed
in
time
for
the
great
event," MEA
said.
[Pakistan's service fee on Sikh pilgrims akin to 'jaziya', says Union Minister]
The proposed corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Guru Nanak Dev.