New Delhi: Despite Pakistan not agreeing to waive a fee on pilgrims, India on Monday announced that it was ready to sign the agreement with Pakistan on the modalities to operate the trans-border Kartarpur Sahib corridor this week.
The agreement was supposed to have been signed last week – and the online registration of pilgrims was to begin on Sunday. But on the scheduled day of October 20, there was no sign of the start of registration.
A day later, the Indian government has said that while it is disappointed with Pakistan for insisting on levying a service fee of $20, it has told Islamabad that it is ready to initial the agreement to start the process to launch the corridor in November.
“It is a matter of disappointment that while an understanding has been reached on most of the elements for facilitating the visit of pilgrims from India, Pakistan continue to insist on levying a service fee of $20 per pilgrim per visit. Government has consistently urged Pakistan that in deference to the wishes of the pilgrims, it should not levy such a fee,” said the MEA press release.
India has been consistently highlighting that Pakistan has not listened to New Delhi’s arguments to make the pilgrimage free. With a lot of political capital riding on the project, New Delhi didn’t have much choice but to sign the pact for the corridor project.
“In view of the long pending demand of the pilgrims to have visa free access to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib and in the interest of operationalisation of the Corridor in time before the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak falling on 12 November 2019, Government has today conveyed that we would be ready to sign the Agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on 23 October 2019,” stated the MEA press release. The online registration of pilgrims will only start after the signing of the agreement.
Also read: Kartarpur Corridor: India Says Pakistan Insisting on Imposing $20 Fee on Pilgrims
In its letter, New Delhi also reiterated that Pakistan “reconsider its insistence to levy service fee on pilgrims”. “India would be ready to amend the Agreement accordingly at any time,” it added.
Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had asserted in a Facebook post that the Kartarpur corridor would be opened as scheduled on November 9.
The opposing political forces in India’s Punjab state, who had earlier competed to take credit for the project, were also at the forefront of trying to have a distance from the service fee.
Three days ago, Congress’ Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said that imposing a fee would prevent poor pilgrims from going on the much-anticipated pilgrimage to Gurudwara Kartapur Sahib. “Let these people not be deprived of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of ‘khulle darshan’ of the historic Gurdwara,” he tweeted.
Also read: India, Pakistan to Sign Kartarpur MoU Soon, Online Registration from October 20
On Monday, Union minister and member of Shiromani Akali Dal, Harsimrat Kaur Badal described Pakistan’s levying of a service fee as “atrocious”. “How will a poor devotee pay this amount? Pakistan has made a business out of faith. Imran Khan’s statement that this fee will boost the economy is highly shameful,” she said in a video posted on her twitter account.
In his Facebook post, Khan had said that opening of the project will turn the Kartapur gurudwara into “a major religious hub for the Sikh community, and will boost the local economy, result in earning foreign exchange for the country creating jobs in different sectors including travel & hospitality”.
Earlier in July, following the second round of discussion on Kartarpur Sahib corridor project, India had issued a detailed press release which had noted a long list of differences on operating the corridor.
Also read: Kartarpur Corridor: India, Pakistan Differ on Protocol Officers, Pilgrim Service Fee
By the time the two sides met in September, the sticking points had narrowed down to only two – the presence of Indian consular officers at the Pakistani Gurudwara and the demand for a service fee.
The Indian press releases have only been highlighting the service fee, and have remained silent on whether Islamabad has agreed to the posting of Indian escort officials.
Sources indicated that Pakistan has given a verbal commitment about allowing an Indian escort official, but it may not be part of the written text of the agreement.