Pakistan, India to discuss Kartarpur corridor agreement despite tensions at border
The two sides will exchange delegation-level visits this month to discuss the draft agreement
March 05, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India will be exchanging delegations to discuss the draft agreement of Kartarpur corridor between the two countries, the Foreign Office of Pakistan said on Tuesday.
Dr Mohammad Faisal, director general South Asia & SAARC at the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the acting Indian high commissioner to Foreign Office in Islamabad and conveyed him that Pakistan's high commissioner to India will be returning to New Delhi, after completion of consultations in Islamabad.
He conveyed that Pakistani delegates will visit New Delhi on March 14 to discuss the draft agreement on Kartarpur corridor, followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on March 28.
Faisal also conveyed to the acting Indian high commissioner Pakistan's commitment to continued weekly contact at the Military Operations (MO) Directorate-level.
The proposal to construct the corridor providing visa-free access to Sikh pilgrims was renewed by Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in August last 2018.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province holds religious significance for the Sikh community. It is where Baba Guru Nanak settled down after his travels as a missionary. He lived there for 18 years until his death in 1539.
Pakistan will build the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab's Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India.
In November last year, Prime Minister Imran had laid the foundation stone for the corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur area of Narowal district with Dera Baba Nanak in India's Gurdaspur District.
Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, Indian Minister for Food Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Indian Minister for Housing Hardeep S Puri had attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib through the years
Kartarpur is located beside the River Ravi in Narowal district, some 120km from Lahore and only about 3-4km from the border with India.
Settled in 1521 by Baba Guru Nanak, the village is famous for its white-domed Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, which holds religious significance for the Sikh community. Kartarpur is where Baba Guru Nanak settled down after his travels as a missionary. He lived there for 18 years until his death in 1539.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib was built by Sardar Bhupindar Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala between 1921 and 1929.
According to Sardar Gobind Singh, the in-charge of the Gurdwara, the region was a stretch of wilderness but began to attract the Sikh pilgrims after its repair work was started in 2000.
The Gurdwara has a well in its garden, and a large kitchen where the pilgrims are served food.
In order to reach the Gurdwara, pilgrims visiting from India had to first reach Lahore, then travel a further 130km to arrive in Narowal. For several years, the Gurdwara remained closed due to the tense relations between India and Pakistan. In 1998, the two countries reached an agreement under which the Sikh pilgrims began to be issued visas to visit Kartarpur.
On a clear day, devotees from India can see the white dome of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib from the 'darshan sthal', a viewing point constructed by the Indian border forces near the border with Pakistan in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
