india

Updated: Oct 17, 2019 20:07 IST

India on Thursday urged Pakistan not to levy a service fee of $20 on pilgrims using the Kartarpur Corridor and expressed the hope that the agreement on the project can be concluded and signed in time for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

“After several rounds of discussion with Pakistan, we have reached an agreement on all other issues, except the matter of service fee. Pakistan insists on levying a fee of $20 (approximately Rs 1,420) on all pilgrims,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

“We have urged Pakistan not to do so in the interests of devotees, and also because this is a P2P (people-to-people) initiative. We hope that the agreement can be concluded and signed in time for the great event,” he said.

Kumar was to queries from the media on whether the agreement for the corridor had not yet been finalised due to Pakistan’s insistence on the service fee. Pakistan handed over the final draft agreement to India last week.

“The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor is an important people-to-people initiative taken by India to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji,” Kumar said.

India and Pakistan are expected to sign the agreement on the corridor, which will link Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to Darbar Sahib gurdwara in Kartarpur, despite serious misgivings in New Delhi over conditions such as the service fee.

There is unlikely to be any joint event by the two sides when the corridor is thrown open to Indian pilgrims as part of celebrations marking the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion.