LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1713
TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2019
KARTARPUR CORRIDOR ACCESS
1713. SHRI GURJEET SINGH AUJLA:
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has taken any action on passport free access to cross the Kartarpur corridor for devotees;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]
(a) to (c) The Union Cabinet, on 22 November 2018, passed a Resolution to celebrate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji in 2019 and inter alia approved building and development of Kartarpur Corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur District
to the International Boundary on the Indian side to facilitate pilgrims from India to visit Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. On the same day, the Government of India informed the Government of Pakistan of its decision to build Kartarpur Corridor from
Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur District of India to the International Boundary and urged Pakistan to recognise the sentiments of the Sikh community and to develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory from the International Boundary to Gurudwara
Kartarpur Sahib. The Government of Pakistan in response has agreed to build a corridor in its territory from Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib to the International Boundary.
Hon’ble Vice President of India laid the foundation stone for the construction of the corridor on the Indian side on 26 November 2018. Union Minister of Food Processing Industries and Minister of State (IC) for Housing and Urban Affairs attended the ground
breaking ceremony for development of Kartarpur Corridor on the Pakistan side on 28 November 2018 as representatives of the Government of India.
On 22 January 2019 the Government shared the coordinates of the Zero Point (crossing point) of the corridor along the International Boundary with Pakistan and also invited a delegation from Pakistan, proposing two set of dates, in February and March 2019, to
discuss and finalise the modalities so that Indian pilgrims can visit the holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor at the earliest. Pakistan has accepted the invitation and agreed to send a delegation to India on 13 March 2019 to discuss and finalise
the modalities. For expeditious realisation of the Kartarpur Corridor, India has also proposed technical level discussions between engineers on both sides without waiting for discussion on the modalities.
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