The signing of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor agreement between India and Pakistan on Thursday to facilitate the visit of Indian pilgrims to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan, the birthplace of Sikh saint Guru Nanak, is a confidence building measure between the two neighbours. Bilateral talks between the two counties have been bogged down amid a series of terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama , the retailiatory Balakot air strikes by India, the downgrading of diplomatic ties, withdrawal of most-favoured nation status, snapping of trade relations and cancelling of bus, train and even postal services in recent days. The corridor will be opened on November 9 with Prime Minister Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan opening the facility in their respective countries. As per the agreement, India will send the list of pilgrims to Pakistan 10 days ahead of their travel dates while confirmation will be sent to them four days earlier.
There is a bone of contention, however, in so far as Pakistan has stuck to its earlier plan to levy a fee of US$20 per pilgrim while India has been calling for the waiver of this fee in the interests of the pilgrims. The corridor will be watched by the two sides with an eagle eye to detect any untoward incident. There can be little doubt that if the experiment succeeds, it could well be a precursor to an improvement in bilateral ties.While a Pakistani visa will not be required, pilgrims will have to carry valid passports. India would have to keep a close watch on any pro-Khalistan elements seeking to use the corridor to sneak into India for subversive activities. If that is detected it would defeat the sanctity of the arrangement.
