Dialogue only way forward to open Kartarpur corridor: Pakistan to India

Pakistan on Thursday said that the opening of the Kartarpur corridor in Punjab province will remain pending, adding that dialogue is the only way forward to resolve issues and disputes between the two countries, according to sources.

Spokesperson of Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Muhammad Faisal said the decision to open the Kartarpur corridor for Silk pilgrims will not witness any way forward if ‘India does not hold talks with its neighbour Pakistan’.

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Faisal, however, reiterated that Pakistan’s stance to hold talks with India to resolve all outstanding issues.

Situated in Narowal district of Pakistani Punjab, opening of the Kartarpur corridor gains significance for both the country since Sikhs will be celebrating the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2019.

According to reports, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the first Gurdwara in Pakistan, was built by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev in 1522 and breath his last at the shrine in 1539. After the Partition in 1947, several historical gurdwaras fell in Pakistan territory, including the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, it said.

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It may also be recalled that Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had attended Imran Khan’s swearing in ceremony in Islamabad in August, has said that Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa hinted at opening of the route to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib on the occasion of the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Ever since the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016 and India’s surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the ties between the two countries had strained politically.

Last month, India called off a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in New York, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps “glorifying” Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani, said the sources.

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Meanwhile, talking about the Kulbhushan Jadhav’s trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that they have fully prepared legally to put it forward its argument against Jadhav.

The ICJ will hold public hearings in the Jadhav case from February 18 to 21 next year at The Hague.

(With inputs from agencies)