India proposes Kartarpur meet with Pak experts in July

New Delhi: Despite the frost in Indo-Pak ties, the Modi government is moving fast on the Kartarpur corridor issue. India has now proposed to Pakistan to hold the second round of meeting on the modalities to operationalise the Kartarpur corridor between July 11 to 14 at the Attari-Wagah border on the Pakistan side.

Sources on Saturday said, "The meeting would discuss the draft agreement on the modalities for movement of Pilgrims along the Kartarpur corridor and resolve outstanding technical  issues related to alignment and infrastructure along the corridor. So far three rounds of technical level discussions have been held at the experts' level to try and finalise the alignment, crossing point and infrastructure along the corridor."

Sources added, "Following the decision taken by the Cabinet on November 22, 2018, India is expeditiously building the requisite infrastructure, including a 4 lane highway and a state of art passenger terminal for the corridor. More than 45 percent of work on the Indian side has been completed. It is targeted to complete the road by end September 2019 and the passenger/ pilgrim terminal by end October 2019, in time to operationalise the Kartarpur corridor on the ocassion of the 550th birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev falling in November 2019."

The Indian government wants to ensure that pilgrims can "visit the holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib easily and smoothly in a safe and secure manner, throughout the year".

Sources further said, “India has also asked  Pakistan to permit and facilitate Nagar Kirtan to be organised by SGPC and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committe at Gurudwara Nankana Sahib in July 2019 and then in October/November 2019 to mark the 550th Anniversay of Guru Nank Devji."

Sources further said, "India has also asked Pakistan to increase the number of pilgrims under the 1974 bilateral Protocol, who visit annually to various religious shrines on Pakistan on the ocassion of Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti, to 10000 this year on the historic and auspicious occasion of 550th anniversary."