Indian pilgrims will have to carry passport to visit Kartarpur Gurdwara: MEA
New Delhi/IBNS: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday clarified that Indian pilgrims visiting Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan's Punjab province will require a valid passport as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries.
"Pakistan's statement has been contradictory. Indian pilgrims will have to carry passport as per the bilateral document or MoU signed by the two countries as of now till it is amended in future to include other provisions," said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
Earlier, media reports contradicted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and quoted Pakistan Army as stating that Indian pilgrims will need passport to visit Kartarpur.
Maj Gen Ghafoor had said on Wednesday, "As we have a security link, the entry would be a legal one under a permit on a passport-based identity. There will be no compromise on security or sovereignty".
On Nov 1, Khan had said no passport will be required for the Indian pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Gurdwara and only a valid ID will be needed.
The much awaited Kartarpur Corridor will be inaugurated on Nov 9.
Kumar said though India submitted the list of people who would visit the Gurdwara on Nov 9 to Pakistan, it has failed to get any confirmation from the neighbour.
Though Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu was expected to attend the inauguration ceremony along with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Kumar didn't individually refer to anyone who would be visiting Kartarpur.
"The inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor is a historic event. It is not important to highlight any one individual," the MEA spokesperson said.
The Kartarpur Corridor connects the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan--the final resting place of Guru Nanak Devji -with Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur of Punjab state.
The corridor is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Indian side and by his Pakistan counterpart Khan across the border.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
