Pakistan Army snubs Imran Khan, says passport mandatory for Sikh pilgrims

Islamabad : Days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced visa free travel on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Sikh pilgrims visiting from India; the Pakistan Army snubbed him and issued a new advisory claiming that carrying passport is mandatory.

The comments from Pakistan Army spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor came on a day when India asked Pakistan to clarify on whether Indians will be required to come with a passport.

The Kartarpur corridor will be inaugurated on Saturday by Prime Minister Imran Khan to mark Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev's 550th birth anniversary.

According to a news report in Pakistan's local paper, Maj Gen Ghafoor on Wednesday said that Indians need to carry passport.

"As we have a security link, the entry would be a legal one under a permit on a passport-based identity. There will be no compromise on security or sovereignty," Ghafoor said.

On November 1, Prime Minister Khan, while announcing the completion of Kartarpur Corridor on Twitter, said he had waived two requirements relating to passport and registering 10 days in advance for Sikhs coming for pilgrimage to Kartarpur from India.

The Kartarpur Corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just 4 kilometres from the International Border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province.