Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur
India has turned
down on health and technical grounds Pakistan’s offer to reopen the Kartarpur
Sahib corridor on June 29 to mark the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh. New Delhi rejected the offer within hours on Saturday after Islamabad
conveyed its readiness to reopen the corridor.
Sources here said any
such decision would have to be taken in consultation with the health
authorities and other stakeholders as cross-border travel had been suspended to
contain the virus.
India accused Pakistan
of being less than sincere in making the offer as Islamabad aired the proposal
at a short notice of two days. On the other hand, the bilateral agreement
provides for information to be shared by India with the Pakistan side at least
seven days before the date of travel. This would need India to open up the
registration process well in advance, the sources pointed out. Besides,
Pakistan has not built the bridge on their side across the flood plains of Ravi
river despite having committed to it in the agreement. With the advent of
monsoon, it would need to be evaluated whether safe pilgrim movement was
possible through the corridor.
This comes at a time of rock-bottom
bilateral ties, as both countries are reducing their staff strength at their
respective High Commissions by half, after India fired the salvo earlier this
week on Tuesday.
Hailing the Kartarpur Corridor as a “true
symbol of peace and religious harmony”, Pakistan on Saturday morning offered to
open the corridor, saying that as “religious places are gradually opening up
around the world, Pakistan has also made necessary arrangements to reopen
Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Sikh pilgrims”. Islamabad also invited New Delhi
to work out necessary Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for reopening of the
Corridor to ensure compliance with health guidelines.
The corridor was inaugurated in November last year by Pakistan PM Imran Khan on the eve of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary.
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