Kartarpur Corridor: SAD asks Imran to waive passport requirement, service fee

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to do away with the requirement of the passport and waive USD 20 of service fee being charged from Indian devotees for visiting the historic Sikh shrine in Kartarpur Sahib.

In a statement, the SAD president pointed out that though Khan had announced that a passport would not be needed to gain access to the Kartarpur corridor by Indian pilgrims and any valid identify proof would suffice, the Pakistan Army had clarified later that entry would be given on the basis of a passport-based identity only.

Badal asked Khan to instruct his government officials to accept any valid identity except passports from devotees.

"Majority of the people in rural areas do not have passports. Moreover, making a passport for this visit alone amounts to an additional expenditure of around Rs 2,000," Badal said.

"Most of devotees plan to travel in family groups and this means an average family will have to spend at least Rs 8,000 on preparation of passports, besides additional expenditure on reaching the Dera Baba Nanak," the SAD leader said.

Badal said if the USD 20 service charge was also taken into account, an average family of four will have to spend around Rs 15,000 to visit the Kartarpur Sahib, adding that it was beyond the reach of the underprivileged sections of the society.

The Ferozepur MP also urged the Pakistan prime minister to waive the USD 20 service fee being charged from pilgrims.

A few days back, Badal had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revise the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Pakistan and remove the clause which requires a passport for using the Kartarpur Corridor.

The corridor connects Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. It was inaugurated on November 9 by Modi at Dera Baba Nanak.