Pakistan, India to discuss pilgrimage corridor July 14

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan has conveyed to India the schedule for a meeting to finalize the modalities for opening of a key border crossing for the Sikh pilgrims, Islamabad said Tuesday in an official statement.

“Pakistan, today, conveyed to India that the second meeting to discuss the draft agreement for finalizing the modalities of Kartarpur Corridor and related technical issues will be held on July 14 at Wagah (border)”, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said, adding: “The Indian side has been requested to convey the composition of its delegation”.

India had proposed to hold the second round of Kartarpur corridors talks between July 11-14.

“Pakistan remains committed to expedited progress on the matter to ensure that the Corridor is operationalized in time for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak in November 2019, the statement concluded.

In November last year, Islamabad and New Delhi had agreed to open Kartarpur crossing for Sikh pilgrims ahead of 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, to be held this year in Pakistan.

Kartarpur border connects Pakistan’s northeastern Narowal city to India’s eastern Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara situated in Narowal -- some 115 kilometers (71 miles) from the provincial capital Lahore -- is one of the most revered temple for the Sikh community as Baba Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life there.

The distance between the temple and Gurdaspur is merely 3 kilometers (2 miles) but the closure of this crossing costs Sikh pilgrims from India to travel hundreds of kilometers, via Amritsar and Lahore, to reach here.

Local media, citing unnamed Foreign Ministry officials, reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been invited to attend the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.

However, Indian Foreign Ministry on Monday rejected the media reports clarifying that neither Modi had been invited by Pakistan nor had he any plans to do so.

Pakistan's northeastern Punjab province is home to the five most important pilgrimage sites for Sikhs. They include the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469 in Nankana Saheb district, and Gurdwara (monastery) Punja sahib in Hasan Abdal town, where the handprint of Guru Nanak is believed to be imprinted on a boulder at the monastery.