India, Pakistan to hold third round of talks on Kartarpur corridor
The third round of discussions between delegates of India and Pakistan to discuss and finalise the draft agreement for operationalisation of the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims began at Attari.
This is the second joint secretary-level meeting after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status leading to fresh tensions between the two neighbours.
Pakistan said it was hopeful that the meeting will finalise the draft agreement of the project.
The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev.
The corridor will be the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since Independence.
"We are hopeful to give a final shape to the draft agreement of Kartarpur corridor in today's talks with India. Some 90 per cent work on the project has been completed and Pakistan is committed to opening the corridor in November," said Foreign Office
"There has been positive progress and we moved forward. Both countries have agreed 80 per cent and beyond regarding the Kartarpur corridor agreement. We may have another meeting to resolve the remaining 20 per cent issues between us on this matter."
On August 30, the meeting between technical experts of India and Pakistan at the Zero Point on Kartarpur corridor project had taken place.
The meeting held on Friday lasted for close to two hours and both the sides have said "good progress" on the technical aspects of the proposed corridor.
Both India and Pakistan have agreed that Pakistan would allow 5,000 Sikh pilgrims per day into the country through the corridor, which will also be the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since their independence in 1947.
Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India.
Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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