Which place is best for 1 day trip in Pakistan?
There are a lot of the best places in Pakistan but if you go from India things are not as easy as you imagine. But if you want to get to Pakistan here is one of the best places for 1 day trip to pakisthan ‘Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur‘ This is a Sikh temple located in Pakistan’s Narowal District, about 60 km northwest of Amritsar. I will share with you some of the most important points you should aware of before you start your one-day trip to Pakistan
Preparations for the trip.
Pakistan a brother of ours who separated from India! As a traveler, I am a firm believer that there are sights and experiences waiting for us in any country. Mohenjadaro Harappa, a part of the Karakoram mountains and part of the Indus river civilization, is located in this country. Pakistan is currently a place where an Indian can never travel. Visas are available for Indians only to visit relatives there and also for business purposes.
But three years ago a change was made. One-day passes have been made available to Indians to the Kartarpur Sahib, a Sikh temple located in Pakistan’s Narowal District, about 60 km northwest of Amritsar. No other area of Pakistan can be visited with this permit. But at least spend a few hours on Pakistani soil. And for the Sikhs, it was more of a pilgrimage than an excursion. In the first phase, only Sikhs got that pass. Later it was made available to all. With this, the tourists who wanted to see Pakistan started making good use of that one opportunity. So in 2020 I also applied for it. A passport is mandatory to apply for this. No other identification is required. Application for the same should be submitted at least 20 days before departure. We can choose the day to go. Just have to have the slot for that day. Because I know only a limited number of people can travel in a day.
Within this period there are some threads. Must get police clearance, NOC if working!!
https://prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in/kpr/
The application should be submitted on the above website. It can be filled and submitted on its own. After that, we will get the registration number through Email and Sms. Then take a printout of the registration form. I also had an inquiry from the police station. We have to go there and take copies of all our documents (Aadhar card, passport, etc.). Also, they will check the original. The above will vary from person to person. It is heard that sometimes calls may come from higher authorities and other offices. I have been to 10 countries in that time. So when I was asked why I was going to Pakistan, as a traveler I had a clear answer.
So got NOC from the workplace. Then in March 2020, when I was about to leave, Covid broke out like wildfire. That trip was canceled. It was a very sad moment. Because you can get a one-day permit, but you can set foot in Pakistan. Years have passed. When the covid came together, they started giving that permit again. Once again I received the confirmation message three days before I chose to travel after permission and police clearance as before. It should be noted that the confirmation of whether we can go on this trip can be known only three to four days before the date of departure. So that one opportunity that I thought was lost once again is in front of my eyes. The nearest major city in India to Kartarpur is Amritsar in Punjab. There is currently only Kochuveli Amritsar (12483/Wednesday Shornur time afternoon 3 pm) train from Kerala or go to Delhi and board another train.
Although there is no direct flight service from Kerala, connecting flights are available. (via Delhi and Goa) On the day of the journey boarded a train from Mudi Side at 4:20 am to Dera baba Nanak railway station. At present, apart from that, there are two more trains from Verka railway station, seven kilometers away from Amritsar. But it is preferable to reach Kartarpur in the morning. That’s why I chose this early morning train. Bus services to Dera Baba Nanak are also available from Amritsar. But that one way did not go as there was doubt as to whether it was at the correct interval. We reached Dera Baba Nanak station at 6 am, it is a small railway station. For example Melatur and Cherukara on the Shornur Nilambur railway line. At present only three trains are coming here in a day. Once it comes, it will go back.
I left the railway station. It was a deserted road. Also, some dogs were seen. I was a little scared at first. But being in the land of Punjabis, who I think are the most honest and brave people in India, a sign of courage came immediately. The range of the phone was less here. The immigration office on the Indian side will be reached after walking three kilometers.
I walked down a small lane of the area with fields on one side and small houses on the other, aiming for the Dera Baba Nanak Mandir. After going there and resting for a while, you have to go to the immigration office. After a short walk, a Sikh named Jaspreet gave me a lift in his car. Go to the Dera Baba temple and eat its Lanka (This refers to the place where everyone eats together in the Sikh temple. In the langar of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a large number of people, regardless of caste and religion, eat together in a day). He said that he should go to Kartarpur after eating.
When he reached there, he rested on the floor for a while when he heard that it would take some more time to start the lankar. Let us share some details about Sikhism and Kartarpur Mandir. Sikhism was founded in the 15th century. In this religion, there are 10 Sikh Gurus like Hinduism has gods. Guru Nanak was the first Guru. Guru Granth Sahib is the scripture to which Guru Gobind Singh, the last Guru, is said to have imparted all his knowledge.
It is like Srimad Bhagwat Gita in Hinduism, Quran in Islam, and Bible in Christianity. The Guru Granth Sahib is currently the living guru of Sikhism. After waiting for a while, the langar started. When entering that place, hair should be covered with a towel. I understand that this is done with the intention that not even a single hair should fall in that sacred place.
It was eaten with rice, chapati, and a curry made with potatoes and pickles. Everyone should eat chamram sitting on the ground. It applies to everyone.
After eating we have to wash it ourselves. It was 7:15 am. Immigration starts at 8 o’clock on the Indian side. It is known that tourists will be allowed to pass till noon. But it is better to go in the morning. Maybe spend some time there. Travelers should return to India by evening. It is known that Indians can stay there till four o’clock. There is no need to stress about it because they will let us know when it is time for us to go. It is about two kilometers from the temple to the Indian immigration area. Since it was morning and I didn’t see many cars, I thought I could walk.
One is traveling along a completely deserted road. There are wheat fields on both sides.
The road leading to Kartarpur Sahib Immigration Office is very wide. A BSF jawan came across a BSF jawan when he reached there after a short walk. He is from Jharkhand. His speech was very dignified. We talked there for a while. When he came to know that I had US Dollars in my hand, he was excited to see it!
There is still some distance to walk. Again the documents were checked before a gate. So I reached Kartarpur Terminal. The immigration office building on the Indian side is similar to an airport. I was the first passenger that day. Because there was not a single car in the parking lot. After a while, many people arrived. Most of them were Sikhs. Before the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, a large number of Sikhs lived around this area. A people who had to leave everything and flee one day! And many families were separated from each other that day. When I saw the old people who came there, I felt that that stretch of partition is still in their minds! What is special about Kartarpur Corridor???? Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, founded Sikhism and established a commune here in 1504 CE. Kartarpur Corridor lies on the banks of the Ravi River, one of the 5 tributaries of the Indus River. Other rivers are Jhelum, Chenab, Sutlej, and Beas. The name Punjab came from these five rivers!
This temple is located in the Narowal District of Pakistan. The immigration process started at eight and a half.
These are the documents currently required.
1) Passport
2) Rtpcr Test Report (Taken in 72 hours). A soft copy is accepted. Must be taken within 72 hours
3) Hard copy of ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization). This is the permit we need to travel to Kartarpur. This is where the immigration stamp is done on the Indian side. So definitely keep a copy of it handy.
4)Covid Double vaccination certificate Soft copy is accepted.
Currently, only those who have received two vaccinations can travel. Generally, all the formalities of an international trip are here. Let’s put the bag in our hands. Pilgrims had a lot of materials for vows there. After first checking the materials in hand, proceed to immigration. Polio medicine will be given to the passengers going before that from here. The immigration stamp is done on the ETA form we have.
Rumor has it that this is done because it will be a problem to visit many countries later if there is a record of traveling to Pakistan. After immigration, there is customs checking. There we have to fill in a form and give the figures of rupees in our hand. We can only carry less than 10,000 rupees including Indian rupees and US dollars. As mentioned earlier, most of the people who visit this place are Sikhs. It was more of a pilgrimage for them than a journey. It is a place where the founder of their religion imparted his knowledge to others. Reached the India-Pakistan border in a small electric vehicle. There is also checking here. Then he crossed the no man’s land between India and Pakistan and set foot in Pakistan. It is about two kilometers from there to the Pakistan Immigration Office. He also went there in a similar electric car. When I saw the Welcome to Pakistan board, I was so happy. Then all the documents like our Covid certificate and RTPCR Test Report will be checked in one place. Then you have to pay the travel fee of 20 US dollars at the Bank of Pakistan counter there and buy the slip.
Note that they only accept the above currency as a fee. Always keep it handy. Because this is what they stamp on. From here we can do currency exchange. If you pay Indian rupees, they will give you US dollars for the entry fee. Also, Pakistan Rupees can be bought from here. Then go to Pakistan Immigration Office. It’s right next to this. After showing the slip you got there earlier, they will stamp it. There was very polite behavior from everyone there. After getting the slip stamped, the officer said with a smile, welcome to Pakistan, and the excitement reached its peak. Finally, after two years of waiting, I set foot in Pakistan. A few more hours on this earth.
