Pakistan regrets India's decision to postpone Kartarpur meeting: FO
Next meeting was scheduled to be held on April 2 at Wagah
March 29, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Friday said Pakistan regrets India's decision to postpone the next scheduled Kartarpur Corridor meeting between the two sides at Wagah border on April 2.
"Pakistan regrets the Indian decision to postpone the upcoming Kartarpur meeting, jointly agreed by both sides on 14 March 2019. The meeting was to discuss & find consensus on outstanding issues," the spokesperson wrote on Twitter.
"Last minute postponement without seeking views from #Pakistan and especially after the productive technical meeting on 19 March is incomprehensible," he added.
Earlier today, Dr Faisal had announced that Indian journalists were welcome to apply for visas to cover the meeting. “Pakistan welcomes Indian media for the Kartarpur Corridor meeting at Wagah on 2 April 2019. They may apply to Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi for visas,” he had tweeted.
During the first meeting between Pakistan and India on March 14, New Delhi had decided not to grant visas to Pakistani journalists to cover the event.
On March 19, Pakistan and India held a technical meeting at the designated zero point to discuss the plan for the Kartarpur corridor project.
During the meeting, the technical experts indicated areas related to the corridor. Both sides set up border fencing around the Kartarpur corridor.
The Kartarpur Corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal district with Dera Baba Nanak in India's Gurdaspur.
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 Khan had laid the foundation stone for the corridor. 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.
