Pakistan, India extend visa-free corridor in rare cooperation

ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan renewed its agreement with India on the Kartarpur Corridor for another five years, facilitating visa-free travel for Indian pilgrims to visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Narowal.

Originally signed on October 24, 2019 for a five-year term, the agreement is set to complete its initial duration on October 24, 2024. Its renewal underscores Pakistan’s enduring commitment to fostering interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence. It continues to offer visa-free access to pilgrims from India enabling them to visit the sacred site of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, where Baba Guru Nanak, the revered founder of Sikhism, spent his final days. Since its inception, the corridor has facilitated the pilgrimage of thousands of worshippers to this holy site. In a significant development, Indian media reports suggest that the Modi government is poised to back Pakistan’s long-standing bid for BRICS membership at the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. This shift in stance marks a potential turning point in India-Pakistan relations, as Pakistan’s membership has been a contentious issue due to tensions between the two nations

Of all the other BRICS members, India alone had time and again resisted Pakistan from joining the group. However, after Russia publicly welcomed Pakistan to BRICS last month, and the last week’s visit to Pakistan by Indian External Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, there appears to be a change of heart in New Delhi.

Quoting sources familiar with the matter, the Indian media said that New Delhi’s approval of Pakistan’s membership and reconsideration of its earlier stance comes after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting (CHG), where he interacted with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. China, Russia and other BRICS members were supportive of accepting Pakistan as a new member and appear to have prevailed upon India, especially as bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia have improved remarkably. The Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin attended the SCO CHG with the largest delegation of investors and journalists.

According to an Indian official source on Tuesday, “India has supported the expansion process on a consensus basis, and with new members, BRICS will emerge as a stronger voice for the Global South.” The source further noted that India has been actively contributing to discussions on how to integrate new members into existing BRICS mechanisms seamlessly. Last year, Pakistan announced that it had formally applied for membership in BRICS. This year, the group will also see Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran as new members of BRICS attend the Kazan summit. BRICS represents over 45pc of the world’s population and 28pc of the global economy.