TIL Desk/World/New Delhi/ “Disappointed” as Pakistan insists on $20 service fee per Kartarpur pilgrim, India on Monday again urged the neighbouring country to reconsider to levy the fee and conveyed that it would be ready to sign the agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on October 23, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Nothing that the government has consistently urged Pakistan that it should not levy such a fee in deference to the wishes of the pilgrims, an MEA statement said that “Pakistan continue to insist on levying a service fee of $20 per pilgrim per visit”. India said it is a matter of “disappointment” when understanding has been reached on most of the elements for facilitating the visit of pilgrims from India.
In view of the long pending demand of the pilgrims to have visa free access to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib and in the interest of operationalisation of the Corridor in time before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev — the founder of Sikhism — falling on November 12, the statement said, “the government has today conveyed that we would be ready to sign the Agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on October 23”.
