Kartarpur corridor: ’80 per cent and beyond agreed upon’

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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said over 80 per cent has been agreed upon between the two sides.

He made these comments following the second round of talks between India and Pakistan regarding the Kartarpur corridor on Sunday at Wagah.

While speaking to media following the talks, the spokesperson said: “In my opinion, around […] 80 per cent and beyond has been agreed upon.” However, he said that he could not share details until a final agreement was reached.

Dr Faisal added that another round of talks would be held to address the approximately 20 per cent unresolved factors. However, he did not provide any details of the meeting.

Following the talks, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that the Indian side has asked Pakistan to permit 5,000 pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor daily and that an additional 10,000 pilgrims be allowed to visit on special occasions, an India news agency reported.

Additionally, they requested that Persons of Indian Origin with OCI [Overseas Citizenship of India] cards be permitted to use the Kartarpur Corridor facility.

The ministry also shared details of a bridge that they were building and “urged” Pakistan to build a bridge on their side.

“Pending construction of [a] bridge over old Ravi creek by Pakistan on their territory, India offered to make interim arrangements for making corridor operational in November 2019, given [the] historic importance of 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.”

Earlier, in a post shared on Twitter, Faisal confirmed that the talks had begun. India had earlier pulled out of the second bilateral meeting scheduled for April 2 after the two sides had met at Attari on March 14.

Dr Faisal led the Pakistani side while an eight-member Indian delegation was led by SL Das.

Speaking to journalists, Dr Faisal said that under the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan is “fully committed to materialising” the Kartarpur Corridor into a reality for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November this year.

The FO spokesperson said that 70 per cent of the Gurdwara complex, terminal building and road had been completed.