Amid fresh tensions, Pakistan says committed to complete work on Kartarpur corridor

"Our commitment on Kartarpur stands. We respect all religions and will not create hurdles in people-to-people to contacts," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.

Amid downgrading of diplomatic ties with India in the aftermath of the scrapping J&K special status, Pakistan said on Thursday that it was committed to complete the much-awaited Kartarpur corridor in a major relief for Sikh pilgrims. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the Kartarpur initiative would continue despite rising tensions.

“Our commitment on Kartarpur stands. We respect all religions and will not create hurdles in people-to-people to contacts,” PTI quoted Qureshi as saying. The corridor is scheduled to be opened during the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak in November this year.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement for Sikh pilgrims. These pilgrims will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev.

As per PTI reports, Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal also confirmed that Pakistan’s Kartarpur initiative would continue notwithstanding the latest developments. Faisal said Pakistan respected all religions.

On Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had expressed concern and said he hoped the present tension between India and Pakistan would not affect the Kartarpur project. Singh, in a statement, described Islamabad’s reaction as “knee-jerk” and “uncalled for”.

“Kashmir was an internal matter for India, which was in its rights to take any decision with regard to the region,” he said, adding that Islamabad “should not have used this as an excuse to undermine its diplomatic relations with India”.

Pakistan’s decision was not in the interest of regional security, he said, warning that any such move to destabilise the fragile peace of the South-East Asian region would make the neighbouring country itself vulnerable. At the same time, the CM hoped these developments would not affect the Kartarpur Corridor and that “Pakistan would not hurt Sikh sentiments by putting the much-awaited corridor on hold”.

In November 2018, India and Pakistan agreed to set up a border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur – the final resting place of Guru Nanak – to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district.

-with PTI inputs

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