Pakistan has named Ramesh Singh Arora, a Sikh legislator from its Punjab province, as the Ambassador At Large for the Kartarpur corridor, the biggest peace gesture between India and Pakistan.
Arora told The Indian Express that it was unfortunate that the response to the Corridor was lukewarm. It was opened in November 2019 to facilitate pilgrims from India to the gurdwara after a break of three years. He said his biggest hope is to boost the number of pilgrims from India via the corridor.
He said that Pakistan has made arrangements for at least 5,000 pilgrims every day at Kartarpur but on most days, not even 1,000 Indians use the facility. On most days, there are around 200-500 pilgrims. "We can only appeal to the Sikh sangat in India to make full use of this corridor as the only reason to open it was the demand from Indian Sikhs."
He also suggested to Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif that the Gurdwara be kept open for 24 hours, seven days a week. This will allow Indian pilgrims to visit the shrine at their convenience. "We will do everything possible from our side to encourage as many people as we can to visit Kartarpur… Currently, the gurdwara is open from dawn to dusk for Indians. But since it is a two-way process, we have to work out the modalities with the Indian authorities."
The official is also holding discussions over accommodating underprivileged pilgrims who cannot pay fees or don't have a passport. "Not everyone can afford to pay the fees of $20 (Rs 1,600) per person, especially when families travel together. Nor does everyone in India, especially people from rural areas, have passports. We have earlier too requested governments from both Pakistan and India to remove the passport condition. Pakistan should reduce the fees."
Arora is from Narowal, the district in Punjab where the Gurdwara Shri Kartarpur Sahib is located. It is one of the holiest shrines for Skihs and the resting place of Guru Nanak. The 48-year-old is a two-time member of its Provincial Assembly (MPA).