[ad_1]
While the government approved the layout of a corridor allowing pilgrims wishing to visit the last resting place of Guru Nanak in Kartarpur to cross the border, India "has approached and has urged Islamabad to develop the passage on its side to facilitate an unrestricted flow. devotees.
The corridor on the Indian side will start from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to the international border with Pakistan. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is located on the other side of the border, on the banks of the Ravi River.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reacted to India's announcement with a tweet saying that Islamabad had already announced to India its decision to open the 550th anniversary corridor of the birth of Guru Nanak in 2019 and that Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the facilities in Kartarpur on November 28th.
India's decision to build the corridor, announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, was made on the eve of Gurpurab, or Guru Nanak Jayanti. A day after the announcement by the Pakistani media, Pakistan would build a 2.5 km corridor leading to Kartarpur Sahib on its territory and Khan himself would lay the foundation stone next week.
Indian government sources said the Cabinet passed the resolution after several weeks of consultations. The decision to build a corridor will also serve to test the commitment of the Pakistani side, which, despite the suggestion that a corridor was under construction, had not progressed in the project.
"The Kartarpur plan is not an answer to Pakistan's proposal"
The Kartarpur Corridor Project, approved by the Center on Thursday, also has political aspects. Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu announced that the corridor was under construction after his visit to Pakistan for the swearing in of Imran Khan. He had explained his embrace to Qamar Bajwa, chief of the Pakistani army, claiming he was assured of help for the corridor. The announcement of the Center was immediately hailed by all parties in Punjab, including Akali Dal, BJP, Congress and AAP.
Officials explained the timing of the announcement in these terms: "The Cabinet usually meets on Wednesday, but due to the holiday for Milad-a Nabi, he met on Thursday and approved the resolution. The resolution is a comprehensive document that contains detailed information about plans to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev, not just the corridor. "
Indian officials said any suggestion that the corridor would be planned in response to a proposal from Pakistan was not only absurd, but also hurt the feelings of the Sikh community.
In addition to Qureshi, another Pakistani prime minister, Fawad Chaudhry, described the Indian cabinet decision as a victory for the "peace lobby" in both countries. Islamabad earlier this week approved visas for 3,800 Sikh pilgrims who wanted to visit religious shrines in Pakistan on the occasion of Guru Nanak's birthday.
The proposal to open the corridor has been a longstanding demand for India for more than 20 years, sources said here, accusing Pakistan of not having accepted this request. Chaudhry announced shortly after the Khan government took power that Pakistan would consider opening the corridor.
Officials stated that India's intention was for the corridor to be a "corridor in its own right to allow maximum circulation". It should be open not only on special occasions, but throughout the year.
The government wants the corridor to be open, and as it has also indicated in Pakistan, it remains open 365 days a day. He also demanded that the number of pilgrims crossing the border be not limited.
