New Delhi, Feb 8: India on Thursday welcomed the Pakistan team to discuss and finalise ‘modalites’ for facilitating visit of pilgrims through Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.
This is seen as a movement forward between two sides for the first round of official bilateral talks to operationalise the nearly 4-km Kartarpur corridor.
“We welcome the visit of Pakistan team to discuss and finalise modalities for facilitating visit of pilgrims through Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on March 13, 2019 to India. Follow up meeting can be held in Pakistan, as required,” MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
Days after India proposed dates for talks with Pakistan to finalise the draft, the authorities in Islamabad today said it will send across its team on March 13 for discussions.
India has also agreed to the Pak Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) proposal for the Indian delegation to travel across the border for follow up talks on March 28.
India had earlier proposed February 26 and March 7 as possible dates for talks.
“In a spirit of constructive engagement Pakistan has proposed to India that the Pakistan delegation may visit India on March followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Pakistan on 28 March to finalise the draft agreement for the kartarpur corridor,” tweeted MOFA spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal who has also been tasked to be the focal person to lead discussions on the Pakistani side. “We look forward to positive reciprocity from India,” he said.
In another tweet MEA spokesperson Mr Kumar wrote, – “For expeditious realisation of Kartarpur corridor, India has also proposed technical-level discussions between engineers on both sides without waiting for discussion on the modalities”.
“We hope Pakistan would positively respond and confirm coordinates of crossing point as well,” added MEA spokesman.
In Pakistan, the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan also approved the formation of a special committee to oversee the development in Kartarpur and Nanakana Sahib.
According to reports, Governor of Punjab province Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar will head the committee.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, earlier in consultations held in New Delhi this week, hoped that India would share a draft agreement with Pakistan and complete legal modalities for the corridor sacred to Sikh pilgrims within a month.
India has already communicated to Islamabad coordinates of the zero point on the International Border while the land acquisition process for the highway and the Integrated Check Post (ICP) is underway in consultation with the Punjab state government.
The Modi government, on the eve of Guru Purab on November 22 last year, approved the construction of Kartarpur Corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the India-Pakistan international border.
