No Passport Required For Visiting Kartarpur Sahib, Fee Waived For 2 Days

Chandigarh: In a major relief to devotees visiting Pakistan for the celebrations of the 550th "Prakash Purb" of Guru Nanak Dev, the host country on Friday announced to waive off conditions of carrying a passport for identification and prior registration for the visitors.

Also, it has exempted the Indian pilgrims from paying a $20 entry fee on the day of the inauguration of the corridor and Guru Nanak Dev's birthday.

"For Sikhs coming for pilgrimage to Kartarpur from India, I have waived off 2 requirements: i) they won't need a passport -- just a valid ID; ii) they no longer have to register 10 days in advance," Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted.

"Also, no fee will be charged on the day of inauguration & on Guruji's 550th birthday," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9 and dispatch the first lot of pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan's Punjab province on the occasion of the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, originally known as Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, is a highly revered Sikh shrine where Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life and is his final resting place.

A day earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh reviewed the progress of the arrangements at Dera Baba Nanak and Sultanpur Lodhi for the inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor and the 550th Prakash Purb celebrations. He said all preparations were on track.