Islamabad, May 13:Pakistan expects to resume talks with India to finalise the agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor once the new government takes charge in New Delhi, according to a Pakistani media report.
The Kartarpur Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in Punjab. The corridor, once operational, will provide a visa-free access to Sikhs from India to their holiest shrine located inside Pakistan.Pakistan expected the resumption of talks on the Kartarpur Corridor once the new government took charge in India, official sources were quoted as saying by the Express Tribune on Sunday.
The last phase of the six-week-long general election in India is scheduled to take place on May 19 and the result would be announced on May 23.A senior Pakistani official said there was no delay on Pakistan’s part. “It is India that is not willing to engage at this juncture,” the official said, while requesting anonymity.
However, the official said Pakistan was confident that India would resume talks after the election.
The two countries, nevertheless, held technical-level talks at Zero Point (Kartarpur) on April 16.
The Indian team was supposed to pay a return visit to Pakistan in April but New Delhi pulled out of the meeting at the last minute citing concerns over the committee formed by Pakistan to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims.
India has expressed concerns over the presence of several Khalistani separatists in the 10-member Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) appointed by Pakistan on the Kartarpur Corridor. PTI
