Kartarpur plan not a response to Pak proposal

The Kartarpur corridor project, cleared by the Centre on Thursday, has political hues too, with Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu announcing that the corridor is being constructed after he visited Pakistan for the swearing in of Imran Khan as PM. He had explained his hug of Pakistan army chief Qamar Bajwa saying he was assured help for the corridor. The Centre’s announcement was immediately hailed by all parties in Punjab, including Akali Dal, BJP, Congress and AAP.

Officials explained the timing of the announcement, saying: “The Cabinet usually meets on Wednesday but due to Milad-un Nabi holiday it met on Thursday and approved the resolution. The resolution is a comprehensive document that contains detailed information on plans for the celebration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, not just on the corridor.”

Indian officials said any suggestion that the corridor was planned as a response to a Pakistani proposal was not only preposterous but also hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikh community.


Apart from Qureshi, another senior Pakistan minister, Fawad Chaudhry, described the Indian Cabinet’s decision as a victory for the “peace lobby” in both countries. Islamabad had 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 long standing demand for India for more than 20 years, sources here said as they blamed Pakistan for not acknowledging the request. Chaudhry had announced soon after the Khan government took over that Pakistan would consider opening the corridor.

Officials here said that India’s intention was that the corridor must be a “full-fledged one that allows for maximum movement”. It should be open not just on special occasions but throughout the year.

The government wants the corridor to, and as it has also conveyed to Pakistan, remain open 365 days, 24 hours. It has also demanded that there be no restriction on the number of pilgrims travelling across the border.