Rival states, such as India and Pakistan, are locked in long-standing geopolitical and ideological conflict and rarely engage in sustained bilateral cooperation. Yet, paradoxically, they sometimes initiate or maintain selective forms of engagement through religious channels. The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor in 2019—a visa-free route allowing Indian Sikh pilgrims access to a major holy site in Pakistan is a compelling example of such cooperation. The research explores the main question of how India and Pakistan Sustain Religious Cooperation amid Security Crises. The case of Kartarpur is particularly puzzling because it was initiated during a period of strained relations, following military confrontations and nationalist posturing. It was sustained even amid strained relations, due to the Balakot airstrikes and the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The paper examines how states used religious narratives in public diplomacy, but with divergent political aims—from diaspora appeasement and domestic legitimacy to international image-building. In the aftermath of the 2019 Pulwama attack and Balakot airstrikes, it was expected to suspend all cooperation. The Kartarpur Corridor case challenges core realist assumptions in international relations by demonstrating how non-material factors like religious faith can override traditional security imperatives.
