Good news for Sikh pilgrims as India, Pak extend Kartarpur Sahib agreement

India and Pakistan on Tuesday extended the validity of their agreement on the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for another five years, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.“It has been agreed between India and Pakistan through diplomatic channels to extend the validity of the Agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for a further period of five years. The Agreement, signed on 24 October 2019 to facilitate the visit of pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, was valid for a period of five years,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Extension of the validity of this Agreement will ensure uninterrupted operation of the Corridor for use by the pilgrims from India to visit the holy Gurdwara in Pakistan. In view of the continued requests of pilgrims regarding the removal of USD 20 service charge levied by Pakistan per pilgrim per visit, India has once again urged Pakistan to not levy any fee or charges on the pilgrims,” the ministry added. External affairs minister S Jaishankar posted on X,”India and Pakistan have renewed the agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for the next five years. PM @narendramodi ’s government will continue to facilitate our Sikh community’s access to their holy sites.”ALSO READ: Sikh devotees gather in Kartarpur for 485th death anniversary of Guru Nanak
Sikhism founder Guru Nanak was born to Baba Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta in Nankana Sahib and died on September 22, 1539.  
Guru Nanak spent more than 18 years at the Kartarpur gurdwara, located on the banks of the Ravi.
Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across the Ravi River, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. The corridor connects the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with the gurdwara at Kartarpur.In July 2022, the Centre told the Lok Sabha that 1,10,670 Indians and overseas citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan using the corridor.