Islamabad, December 30: To facilitate visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan has sent a 14-point agreement to India on the basis of which Indian pilgrims will be allowed to enter Pakistan. Islamabad has given a 59-page document with 14 key recommendations to New Delhi. All the Indian pilgrims are needed to abide by the rules to enter Pakistan to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur through a special corridor. The corridor is expected to be operational by November 2019. Pakistan has conveyed that it will complete and open the corridor before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November 2019. Kartarpur Corridor: Pakistan to Send Proposal to India With These Pointers. 

The recommendations say all visitors shall be required to obtain a security clearance certificate from Indian authorities. Pakistan shall issue permits to 500 visitors per day and local authorities shall reserve rights to admission. Once the corridor is open, it would allow Sikh pilgrims direct access to the historic Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, where Guru Nanak Dev died in 1539. How to Reach Dera Baba Nanak to Visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan From Various Cities of India.

Take a look at the recommendations:

  1. All Indian pilgrims to be given free entry and that facilitation centres and security check-posts to be set up on both sides of the border.

  2. The pilgrims shall be allowed in groups of a minimum of 15 people and Pakistan shall issue special permits to them.

  3. Both countries will compile a record of visitors which will include their names, travel records and other details, according to the recommendations.

  4. The Indian government shall provide a list of pilgrims to Pakistan three days in advance.

  5. It will be mandatory for all visitors to bear a standard Indian passport.

  6. All visitors are required to obtain a security clearance certificate from Indian authorities.

  7. Pakistan shall issue permits to 500 visitors per day and local authorities shall reserve rights to admission.

  8. According to the proposed agreement, Islamabad will reserve the rights to refuse entry into its territory, reduce the period of stay or terminate the stay of any pilgrim despite the grant of the permit if it considers him/her a threat to the country or finds undesirable for security or other purposes.

  9. The proposal states that the corridor will remain open from 8 am to 5 pm every day.

  10. The agreement also proposes the establishment of infrastructure on both sides, including facilitation centres and counters for running security check and issuance of permits for the facilitation of the pilgrims.

On November 26, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stone for the corridor on the Indian side of the border. Two days later on November 28, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had laid the foundation stone for the corridor on the Pakistani side. The corridor is believed to connect Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak situated in Indian Punjab's Gurdaspur.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2018 12:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).