Border Security Force personnel check identity documents of motorcyclists at Dera Baba Nanak, some 50 kms from Amritsar on October 24, 2019. Instead of visas, the two countries plan to give special permits to pilgrims to access the shrine through a corridor built on both sides of the border.
New Delhi: India and Pakistan have signed a visa-free border crossing agreement to let Indian Sikhs easily visit a shrine in Pakistan each day beginning next month in a rare moment of cooperation amid heightened tensions over the Kashmir region.
The agreement was signed Thursday by officials of the two countries who shook hands at a land border point in India's northern Punjab province where nearly 80% of India's nearly 25 million Sikhs live.
Instead of visas, the two countries plan to give special permits to pilgrims to access the shrine through a corridor built on both sides of the border.
Sikh founder Guru Nanak settled in what is now Pakistan's Kartarpur. The shrine was built after he died in the 16th century.
Sign up for the Daily Briefing
Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox
Network Links
GN StoreAbout Gulf NewsTerms & ConditionsReach by GNSitemapContact usPrivacy PolicyGN FocusHave your sayWork with usAdvertise with usGulf News epaperPrinting Services
Download our app
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2026. All rights reserved.