India, Pak hold talks on Kartarpur corridor

Officials from India and Pakistan Thursday held “detailed and constructive” discussions on the Kartarpur corridor which will enable pilgrims from India to travel to the Sikh shrine inside Pakistan through a dedicated corridor.

“Both sides held detailed and constructive discussions onvarious aspects and provisions of the proposed agreement and agreed to worktowards expeditiously operationalising the Kartapur Sahib Corridor,” a jointstatement issued after the meeting on Thursday said.

   

Foreign office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal said in a pressbriefing soon after talks on the matter concluded on a cordial note in Attari,India: “Though differences persist on a few points, the meeting went welloverall”.

Faisal was heading the Pakistani side during the bilateraldialogue.

Technical experts from Pakistan and India also had adiscussion on key matters, he said, adding that the meeting was held in a”positive and conducive environment”. The experts discussed issues relating tothe corridor, its construction, road, and other technicalities.

Faisal termed the meeting itself an achievement, noting thatthe two countries issued a joint statement after a gap of several years. Herecalled that the two countries had last agreed on a joint statement in 2015.

Reading out the statement, he said: “Both sides helddetailed and constructive discussions on various aspects and provisions of theproposed agreement and agreed to work towards expeditiously operationalisingthe Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.”

“Both sides also held expert-level discussions betweentechnical experts on the alignment and other details of the proposed corridor,”he said.

He added that the two sides have also agreed to hold thenext meeting at Wagah on April 2, 2019, which will be preceded by a meeting oftechnical experts on March 19, 2019 at proposed zero points to finalise thealignment of the corridor.

Earlier in the day, the Pakistani delegation had crossedover to India from the Wagah border crossing to negotiate the mechanisms thatwill govern operations of the Kartarpur Corridor.

The hope is to provide visa-free access to Indian Sikhpilgrims to the Gurdwara in Kartarpur Sahib— a small town in Narowal, 4kilometres from the Pakistan-India border, where Sikhism founder Guru NanakSahib spent the last 18 years of his life.

The corridor is planned to be opened for Sikh pilgrims thisyear in commemoration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Sahib. Thegroundbreaking of the project on the Pakistani side was performed by PrimeMinister Imran Khan at Kartarpur Sahib on November 28, 2018.

According to Radio Pakistan, Faisal, while talking tomedia-persons before leaving for India, expressed his confidence that dialogueon the corridor could be a step forward in the right direction “in the currentvitiated situation, from conflict to cooperation, animosity to peace and enmityto friendship”.

Talking about the religious importance of the corridor, theFO spokesperson explained that Gurdwara Darbar Sahab was built at a site on thePakistan side and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak in India.

“Opening the corridor to allow Sikhs access to their mostrevered place of worship has been a longstanding request of the Sikhs. This isalso reflective of the importance and primacy that Pakistan gives to all itsminorities,” he added.

On January 21, Islamabad shared its draft agreement withIndia and proposed that Pakistan delegation may visit India on March 14followed by return visit of the Indian delegation to Pakistan. On 6 March 2019,India proposed that Pakistan delegation may visit Attari on March 14.

“Continuing with our spirit of constructive engagement andflexibility and in line with our sincere efforts to de-escalate the situationfor regional peace and stability, we decided to agree to the Indian proposal andthat is why we are here today to crossover to the Indian side shortly for whatis the first of a series of meetings,” Faisal said at the Wagah border.

At today’s meeting, India has sought visa-free access to theKartarpur shrine, and suggested that 5,000 pilgrims be allowed to visit everyday.

“There should not be any additional encumbrances in the formof any additional documentation or procedures,” S C L Das, joint secretary inthe Ministry of Home Affairs who headed the Indian team, told reporters.

He said “as a first step”, the two sides agreed that thepassport shall be the identification document for the pilgrims.

Islamabad is expected to respond to Indian suggestions atthe next meeting, scheduled for April 2 at Wagah on the Pakistan side of the border.

Technical experts from both sides will meet earlier, onMarch 19.

The 20-member Pakistani team was headed by Mohammad Faisal,Director General (South Asia and SAARC) of Pakistan Ministry of ForeignAffairs. On his return, Faisal tweeted, “Pakistan Kartarpur Delegation returnsafter constructive discussion in a cordial environment.”

“From our side, we have pressed for at least 5,000 pilgrimsper day to be allowed to visit the holy shrine in the initial phase,” theIndian delegation leader said.

“This will include not only Indian nationals but people ofIndian origin as well,” Das added.

India has asked Pakistan to allow pilgrims to travel onfoot, if they wish. It also urged that another 10,000 pilgrims be allowedaccess on festivals like Baisakhi and Gurupurab.

India plans to create infrastructure for that number on itsside of the corridor, the Pakistani team was told.

Last November, India and Pakistan agreed to set up the newborder crossing.

Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district acrossthe river Ravi, about four kilometres from the border.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh had on November 26 laid the corridor’s foundation stone inGurdaspur.

Two days later, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan laidthe foundation stone at Narowal, 125 km from Lahore. 

(IANS/DAWN)

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