Kartarpur issue

  • The Pakistan government’s decision to transfer the management and administrative control of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur from a Sikh body — Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee (PSGPC) — to a trust under the Evacuee Trust Property Board, a non-Sikh body, invited sharp reactions from India.
  • India termed the move “highly condemnable” and against the spirit of the Kartarpur Corridor.
  • The Shiromani Akali Dal termed Pakistan’s decision as a move to take full control of the gurdwara, which is also the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev. 
  • The PSGPC, however, claimed that there is no change in the administration of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. 
ROLE OF ETPB AND PSGPC
  • ETPB looks after the building and maintenance of all Sikh gurdwaras in Pakistan whether they have been opened or still lying closed. 
  • The ETPB spends money from its own pocket. 
  • The Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee (PSGPC) looks after the religious affairs of the gurdwaras. 
  • The PSGPC also keeps control of the donations made by devotees. 
  • The ETPB has nothing to do with donations made by Sikhs at Darbar Sahib or any other gurdwara. 
  • Satwant Singh is the president of PSGPC.
THE CONTROVERSY AND THE STAND OF PSGPC
  • The controversy erupted following a notification by ETPB as per which a new body was formed for the administrative control of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
  • The new body was named Project Management Unit (PMU).
  • Satwant Singh (president of PSGPC), however, said that PMU will not affect the role of the PSGPC in managing religious affairs at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in anyway. 
  • According to him, Pakistan government acquired more than 800 acres of land for the expanded complex of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and Kartarpur Corridor. 
  • Hence, they need a separate body to look after all this structure spread over more than four kilometres. 
DEFENDING ALLEGATIONS
  • Shiromani Akali Dal alleged that the new government body for Darbar Sahib has no Sikh member in it, which it considered to be “ a grave attack on fundamental rights of Sikh minority in Pakistan,”.
  • Satwant Singh, however, said that there was no need of any Sikh member in the PMU. 
  • He said that The ETPB never makes any plan regarding gurdwaras without discussing with them. 
KARTARPUR CORRIDOR AND ITS HISTORY
  • The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing and secure corridor, connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India. 
  • It is 4.7 kilometers long.
  • Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is a gurdwara in Kartarpur, Narowal District, Punjab province of Pakistan. 
  • It is built on the historic site where Guru Nanak settled and assembled the Sikh community after his missionary travels.
  • After the death of Guru Nanak in 1539, the changing course of the River Rabi eventually washed away the habitation in Kartarpur. 
  • A new habitation was formed, representing the present-day Dera Baba Nanak on the left bank of the Ravi river.
DEVELOPMENT OF KARTARPUR CORRIDOR
  • In 1998, Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan discussed opening of Kartarpur corridor but the Kargil War stopped the Kartarpur-Dera Baba Nanak corridor initiative. 
  • In November 2018, both countries laid foundation stone for Kartarpur corridor. 
  • In August 2019, India and Pakistan agreed to allow visa-free travel of Indian citizens to Kartarpur and inaugurated Dera Baba Nanak- Kartarpur corridor.
  • Pakistan charges USD 20 from Indian pilgrims using the Corridor.

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