INP-WealthPk

US welcomes finalization of Kartarpur Corridor agreement

October 25, 2019

WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (INP): The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the State Department on Friday welcomed the finalization of the Kartarpur Corridor agreement. The State Department’s wing said in a statement on Twitter that they welcome news of a finalized agreement that paves the way for a corridor between India and Pakistan, allowing Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib. “We look forward to the formal opening in November. Building people-to-people ties between neighbors is [a] good news.” The officials of Pakistan and India in a historic event on Thursday signed an agreement for opening Kartarpur Corridor. Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Director General South Asia and SAARC Dr. Muhammad Faisal and India’s Joint Secretary External Affairs SCL Das signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries at Kartarpur Zero Point. Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate Kartarpur Corridor on Nov 9. In the agreement, Islamabad has kept a service fee of $20 for Sikh pilgrims visiting the Corridor from the Indian side, unchanged. As many as 5,000 Sikh pilgrims can visit Kartarpur daily and Pakistan will consider the possibility of allowing more pilgrims on special occasions. INP/AJ/LK