Pak proposes 4th round of talks on Kartarpur corridor for next week

Pakistan on Wednesday proposed another round of talks for next week to finalise an agreement with India on Kartarpur corridor in view of the 'approaching deadline' of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Islamabad also said that it handed over a comprehensive dossier to New Delhi in response to the dossier shared by India in the second meeting.

This comes after New Delhi and Islamabad failed to finalise an agreement on the Kartarpur corridor following differences over key issues including Islamabad's insistence on charging a fee for allowing pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

"In view of paucity of time and the impending deadline of the 550th (birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Devji) celebrations, Pakistan proposed that the next round of meeting be held at the earliest, preferably next week, to finalise the draft agreement," said Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

 

While the Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs SCL Das, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal led the Pakistani delegation.

The ministry said that both the sides held detailed discussions on outstanding issues, including the issuance of cards to visiting pilgrims.

It also added that both sides agreed to issue an identification card for visiting pilgrims and a joint working group would be constituted "for facilitating the smooth implementation of the agreement".

During the meeting, both the sides have also agreed on visa-free travel by Indian pilgrims to the Gurdwara in Pakistan using the corridor. Moreover, it will allow as many as 5,000 pilgrims to visit the Gurdwara every day.

Pakistan side has highlighted infrastructure constraints to accommodate 15,000 pilgrims on special occasions.

However, the corridor will be operational round-the-clock, throughout the year. The pilgrims will have a choice to visit either as individuals or in groups.

Das, while addressing the media, said that all facilities on Indian side would be ready for the pilgrimage through the corridor for the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Dev's anniversary.