–Foreign Minister Qureshi says former Indian PM will represent Sikh community at the inaugural ceremony
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday announced that Pakistan has decided to extend an invitation to former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor, which is scheduled to be opened in November.
“Kartarpur corridor is an important project, the prime minister has a personal interest in it,” said Qureshi in a video message.
“After consultations, Pakistan has decided to invite Manmohan Singh to the inauguration, who we hold in high regard. He will represent the Sikh community.”
“On behalf of the government, as the foreign minister of Pakistan, I invite him to attend the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor,” said Qureshi, adding that the government also intends to send Singh a formal written invitation.
The foreign minister also invited Sikh pilgrims in his message, saying: “We also await the Sikh yatris […] to come and take part in the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.”
Earlier this month, Pakistani project director Atif Majeed had said the visa-free border crossing from India to Kartarpur, Pakistan, would be inaugurated on Nov 9, just ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak on Nov 12.
It was also announced that Pakistan has agreed to allow 5,000 Sikh pilgrims from India to visit on a daily basis the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal through the Kartarpur corridor.
Pakistan has kept the corridor project insulated from the recent tensions with India over annulment of Article 370, subsequent repressive actions in occupied Kashmir and intensified ceasefire violations on the Line of Control. The project had also remained unaffected by the previous episode of escalation between the two sides following the Pulwama attack in February.
Kartarpur corridor connects Pakistan’s Narowal city to India’s Gurdaspur district. Kartarpur Sahib Temple is one of the most revered temples for the Sikh community where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life.
The distance between the temple and Gurdaspur is merely three kilometres but the closure of this crossing forces Sikh pilgrims from India to travel hundreds of kilometres, via Amritsar and Lahore, to reach here.
In early September, Islamabad reaffirmed its commitment to the special project and urged New Delhi to show flexibility on the matter.
The announcement came after the third meeting on the Kartarpur Corridor at Attari, India. The meeting discussed the modalities of the draft agreement for facilitation of pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Kartarpur by using the Kartarpur Corridor.
The Pakistan delegation was led by Dr Mohammad Faisal, Director General for South Asia and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SA& Saarc) at the Foreign Ministry. The Indian side was led by SCL Das, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
In a post-meeting press briefing at the Wagah border, Dr Faisal said that Pakistan had taken unprecedented steps to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims. He urged India to show flexibility and leave political rhetoric aside.
“India needs to show some flexibility as we have taken an unprecedented initiative to reflect our commitment to the minorities,” he said, adding that another round of delegation-level talks would be held to finalise the agreement.
During the talks, the two sides agreed on visa-free travel by Indian pilgrims – in groups and as individuals. The corridor will be open all year round for 5,000 pilgrims every day, Dr Faisal said, adding that the pilgrims will be provided Langar and Prasad.
“We have agreed on at least 5,000 pilgrims from India but we are open to more. There will be local pilgrims as well as international. We will allow entry to as many as we can under the capacity,” Dr Faisal told reporters.
A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry said that both sides agreed that an identification card would be issued by Pakistan to the visiting pilgrims, while a joint working group would be constituted by both sides to facilitate the smooth implementation of the agreement.
“It was stressed that Pakistan’s Kartarpur spirit was aimed at facilitating and promoting Nanak Naamlevas but limiting pilgrims was necessary in the initial phases due to capacity constraints,” the statement said.
As announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan will allow visa-free access to pilgrims of all faiths, seven days a week, throughout the year, it said, adding: “Pilgrims will be charged nominal amount as service charges for the upkeep/maintenance of the Gurdwara Sahib.”
“Prime Minister Khan’s very first announcement of visa-free access to pilgrims is testament to Pakistan’s sincerity and commitment to maximally facilitating them. Visa-free access to pilgrims precludes the need for consular officers from India.”
