Kartarpur corridor: Pakistan, India to hold next round of talks on April 2

Today was the first meeting at foreign-ministerial level between Pakistan and India.

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan and India on Thursday agreed to hold a second round of discussion to finalise the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor on April 2 following today’s ‘constructive meeting in a cordial environment’, according to Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal.

#Pakistan Kartarpur Delegation returns after construcirve discussion in a cordial environment. First #Pakistan-#India joint Press Statement after a long time. #PakKartarpurSpirit #RoadToPeace pic.twitter.com/hSvBrqFHlQ

— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) March 14, 2019

He spoke to the media upon his return from India, and said that technical experts from both the countries will meet next Tuesday. Technical team and experts are scheduled to discuss issues relating to the corridor, its construction, road, and other technicalities.

Dr Faisal, Director General South Asia and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), led 18-member Pakistani delegation via Wagha Border to hold talks for drafting an agreement on Kartarpur Corridor at Attari near Amritsar.

He praised the Indian delegation by stating that they [India] were welcoming and the environment was conducive.

The meeting was held on the draft agreement of Kartarpur corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal district with Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur.

The April 2 meeting will be technical in nature and holds great importance, he further said.

“There were differences on certain aspects, the details of which cannot be revealed at the moment,” he went on to say.

A statement by FO read, "The first meeting to discuss the modalities and the draft Agreement for facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the Kartarpur Corridor was held today at Attari, India in a cordial environment.

The Indian delegation was led by Mr. S.C.L. Das, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Pakistan delegation was led by Dr. Mohammad Faisal, DG (SA & SAARC) of Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Both sides held detailed and constructive discussions on various aspects and provisions of the proposed agreement and agreed to work towards expeditiously operationalizing the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

Both sides also held expert level discussions between the technical experts on the alignment and other details of the proposed corridor.

It was agreed to hold the next meeting at Wagah on 2 April 2019. This will be preceded by a meeting of technical experts on 19 March 2019 at the proposed zero points to finalize the alignment."

Earlier before departing for India, he spoke to the media at Wagha Border where he asserted the significance of defusing tensions between nuclear-armed rivals for peace and stability of the entire South Asian region.

He had expressed hope for a positive response from the Indian side following the talks while emphasizing that Pakistan has paid a particular attention to rights of minorities.

"The long-awaited Kartarpur corridor was strongly being demanded by the Sikh community and Prime Minister Imran Khan s initiative is reflecting that Pakistan has been securing the rights of minorities," Dr Faisal had added.

“We aim to plant a tree to cast its shadow on our neighbour,” he said, adding that the delegation will convey a message to transform war into peace and enmity into friendship.

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

The delegation also includes senior officials of foreign ministry, interior ministry, law and justice ministry, and religious affairs ministry.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan regretted that India had not issued visas to Pakistani journalists to cover the round of talks between Indian and Pakistani delegations on Kartarpur Corridor.

This will be their first meeting today at foreign-ministerial level to finalize the modalities and discuss the draft agreement of the Kartarpur corridor to enable Indian pilgrims to pray at the historic Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan.

Dr Faisal had reminded India that more than 30 Indian journalists covered the Kartarpur ground breaking ceremony in Pakistan last year. They also met Prime Minister Imran Khan and were hosted by the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for a dinner during their stay in Pakistan.

Later, an Indian delegation will also arrive in Pakistan on March 28 for further deliberations.

New Delhi and Islamabad had last week confirmed that talks are on schedule despite the India Pakistan tensions.

However, in its recent wave of aggression, India refuted to accept it as a resumption of dialogue between two South Asian neighbours.

The talks were initially scheduled to be held in New Delhi but later the venue was changed by New Delhi to repel a notion that the talks were resumption of talks.

In November 2018, Pakistan offered India the building of the corridor for Sikh pilgrims for visiting the Gurudwara at Kartarpur where the founder of Sikhism – Guru Nanak lived for 18 years.

The project, with 40 percent of the work already done, is being anticipated to be completed just before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019 with a community-wide groundbreaking ceremony for Sikh pilgrims at the Gurdwara in Kartarpur Sahib.

Later, the building of a passenger terminal building (PTB complex) at the cost of Rs190 crores was approved, which will be able to handle immigration and customs clearance facilities for5000 pilgrims every day. In the second phase, a hospital and accommodation for temporary staying will also be built. A bridge over Ravi river will also be built for crossing of pilgrims.

The corridor can pave a way for "facilitating and fortifying" people-to-people bonds of the two countries.

Besides, India has approved Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur as the coordinates of Zero Point (crossing point) for the opening of the Kartarpur corridor along the International Border with Pakistan. It has been decided to establish the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district in Punjab to the International Border.

Earlier in a historical event on November 28, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of Kartarpur Corridor which was also attended by Indian ministers Navjot Singh Sidhu, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri on the invitation of the Pakistan government.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other government officials.

On March 7, PM Imran Khan had directed the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) to ensure timely completion of the project on Pakistani side of the border.

The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib.