Kartarpur Corridor: Pakistan to hold talks with India on July 14 at Wagah

Days after India proposes dates for the second round of senior-level meeting to finalise the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan on Tuesday said that it is ready to discuss the issue on July 14 at Wagah.  

“Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Pakistan, today, conveyed to India that the second meeting to discuss the draft agreement for finalizing the modalities of Kartarpur Corridor and related technical issues will be held on 14th July 2019 at Wagah,” reported ANI.

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Pakistan, today, conveyed to India that the second meeting to discuss the draft agreement for finalizing the modalities of Kartarpur Corridor and related technical issues will be held on 14th July 2019 at Wagah. pic.twitter.com/WoK5ioCPeT

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2019

"The Indian side has been requested to convey the composition of its delegation. Pakistan remains committed to expedite progress on the matter to ensure that the Corridor implies operationalized in time for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak in November 2019," a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan reads.

Earlier, India had proposed to Islamabad that next round of talks on Kartarpur Corridor could be held between July 11 to 14. 

In November 2018, India and Pakistan had agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak, to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the Ravi river, about four km from Dera Baba Nanak.

The first meeting to finalise the modalities for the corridor took place on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah border on March 14.

Technical experts of the two countries met on March 19 during which alignment, coordinates and several other engineering aspects of the proposed corridor were discussed.

However, on March 29, India conveyed its strong concerns to Pakistan over the presence of a leading Khalistani separatist in a committee appointed by Islamabad on the Kartarpur project.

India also postponed a previously agreed meeting on the project which was to be held on April 2 in Wagah on the Pakistani side.

With PTI Inputs