Pakistan issues visa to Navjot Singh Sidhu for Kartarpur Corridor inauguration.

ISLAMABAD -- The Foreign Office on confirmed it had issued a visa to former Indian cricketer and politician Navjot Singh Sidhu for Kartarpur Corridor inauguration.

"Pakistan has issued visa to Indian politician Navjot Singh Sidhu for his visit to holy shrine of Baba Guru Nanak," Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said during his weekly briefing.

The spokesperson clarified that the passport waiver for Kartarpur pilgrims would extend up to one year as a special gesture on the 550th birth anniversary of Sikh leader Baba Guru Nanak.

'The $20 service fee per pilgrim would not be charged for first two days after inauguration of Corridor, i.e. on November 9 and 10,' he said.

He added the package of goodwill gestures also included abolishing the requirement of 10-day advance intimation.

Dr Faisal said Pakistan was expecting a massive inflow of Sikhs from all over the world to visit their revered site on Saturday, adding that the incumbent government had in particular interest in promotion of religious tourism.

'Under the 1974 agreement with New Delhi regarding religious pilgrims, about five thousand pilgrims will come from India whereas our missions abroad have issued the same number of visas,' Dr Faisal said. 'Pilgrims from different countries including Canada, Britain, America, Singapore, Malaysia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, New Zealand and Australia will attend the inauguration ceremony,'

He said the promotion of Hindu and Buddhist sacred situated inside Pakistan was also under consideration as the country was a cradle of...