Pakistan and India have finally signed the long-awaited Kartarpur Corridor pact, which will allow visa-free entry to Sikh pilgrims from across the border and abroad to their religious holy site in Kartarpur.
With both governments given a little over two weeks to complete the remaining work, Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the project on November 9 after the corridor will be opened for the public.
The agreement will allow a daily influx of a maximum of 5,000 Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan with a minimum service fee of USD 20 per pilgrim.
When the two figures are summed up, it shows that Pakistan will get $100,000 (Rs. 15.574 million) every day.
Since the corridor will remain open 365 days of the year, it could potentially generate a direct income of USD 36.5 million which translates to Rs. 5.55 billion per annum.
Aside from the direct income through the fees, Pakistani businesses and government will also make indirect income through the sale of merchandise, and other services and products which will add more taxes to the national treasury.
While India has formally asked the Pakistan government to reconsider fees in the future, the former has maintained that the money will be spent on the provision of better services to pilgrims and for the development of the Kartarpur Gurudwara.
The government has established a dedicated online portal for the pre-registration of intending pilgrims. As it is a visa-free project, registration of the pilgrims in advance is necessary.
The confirmation details are sent via email and SMS three to four days before the date of travel. Each confirmed traveler will be given an Electronic Travel Authorisation.
SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT
LOVE OF THE SIKH COMMUNITY
AND IN FUTURE KHALISTAN WILL BE OUR FRIENDLY NATION
I guarantee when ever Indian Moodiest Goons threat to Pakistan then a huge number of people within India itself retaliate to save their holy places…..
Khan ko kab tak bhoolo gy pakistanio….
This calculation which is based on a childish simple arithmetics do not account for the expense head. As if every cent earned with a $20 fee is a profit to Govt of Pakistan…. Why doesn’t the writer mention the operational expenses that shall be incurred daily by Govt of Pakistan in Kartarpur Corridor….
maybe he don’t know economics and he is considering earning as profit..
The expenses money as well as $100000 fees, both, will stay in Pak. So Pakistan only gains. His calculation is correct. Besides this, pilgrims will spend much more on shopping, food, travel etc.. So I think Pak will make over a $1 billion at least. It will only increase in future.
Every effort for peace is commendable. Imran Khan is taking good initiatives for worldwide peace.
I feel proud to be a Pakistani. After India’s worst treatment for Kashmir, we on the other hand are kind. The credit goes to Imran Khan and Navjot Singh Sidhu who have made this possible for the Sikh community.
Do You know how much Pakistan is spending on the construction of kartarpur corridor. It will take 10 years to recover that amount. Entry fee is hardly good enough tfor recurring costs. Approx 1000 people will be employed for the maintenance and functioning purpose only. Pakistani people have denied their lands for Indians. This is I’ll consumption created by ill informed PM Imran that we can make money out of it.
The expenses money as well as $100000 fees, both, will stay in Pak. So Pakistan only gains. All money whether expenses (which are paid to people of Pakistan through labour cost etc) or $ fee income stay in Pak. Let us not politicize it, it is gain of the people of Pakistan.
Immature thinking about income. This will help to have good relations with Sikh Community.
You are forgetting to add up expenses, right from the immigration officers to the upkeep of the Grudwara, is going to cost an arm and a leg. On top of that the estimated revenue is based on the minimum numbers of devotees that are expected to visit, there is a possibility that the numbers could go down after some time. What the GOP should do is set up a trust and all revenue in excess of expenditure should be transferred into that account, this extra amount should then be put into good use by either in rehabilitation of other Grudwaras.
How many days of stay would they have per trip? There should be a variable fee for the length of stay so the long they stay, the more they pay.
Another thing to consider is that if a visitor is allowed to stay for a month, there would be 150,000 sikh visitors at max, which is quite a big number. We shouldn’t forget that India would try its best to make a law-and-order situation in Kartarpur to stop sikh visitors. Providing security to 150,000 visitors on daily basis would require too much cost to the government. I don’t think $20 is a big amount to charge from them.