Visa-free Kartarpur Corridor pact signed.

LAHORE -- Amid heightened tension at the Line of Control and the bilateral relations being at all-time low, Pakistan and India on Thursday signed a historic Kartarpur Corridor agreement, allowing Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to their religion's holy site in Punjab's Narowal district.

Director General South Asia and SAARC Dr Mohammad Faisal from Pakistan and Joint Secretary for Home Affairs SCL Das from India inked the agreement at the Zero Point demonstrating the two countries' will to make difficult things happen against all odds born out of Kashmir imbroglio.

The development comes after three rounds of protracted negotiations between the two arch-rivals in a situation when the two countries are hectically engaged at the diplomatic as well as military fronts following India's decision to abrogate the special status of Occupied Kashmir.

The corridor will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 9, days ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhs' spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak.

It is in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan' pledge with the Sikh community to open the place as Baba Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life at Kartarpur.

'Today, Pakistan under the initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan has fulfilled yet another promise of ensuring religious peace by upholding rights of minorities,' Dr Faisal told the media after the agreement signing ceremony. He added the settlement between the two countries involved 'quite a difficult and tough negotiations'.

Faisal explained that pilgrims will be facilitated seven days a week from dawn till dusk. 'Under the agreement, India will provide a list of pilgrims ten days before their visits so that they could be properly received,' he said, adding the first group will arrive at the pilgrimage site using the corridor on November 9.

The Foreign Ministry official confirmed that Islamabad will allow 5,000 pilgrims daily and 'and if there is more capacity we will accommodate them too'.

The spokesperson further said that details of the agreement will soon be shared but added that the Sikh pilgrims will have to carry their passports and they will also be charged $20 fee to have access to their religious site. He said the $20 service fee to be charged was less than one-third of the expenses to be incurred per person.

The FO official also lauded his team's efforts, saying negotiating with India were not easy 'because of the history the two countries share'.

The shrine is about four...