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Kartarpur Corridor: Pakistan, India to Hold Talks Today

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India are all set to hold talks on the Kartarpur Corridor project on Tuesday (today), following the positive meeting held on March 14.

According to diplomatic sources, the dialogues will be held at Dera Baba Nanak at Zero Line in Kartarpur, which would be attended by the technical teams of both countries.

A Pakistani delegation led by Director General South Asia and SAARC Dr Mohammad Faisal will leave for India on Tuesday via Wahga. Other members of the delegation comprise officials from ministries of foreign affairs, interior, law and justice and religious affairs.

“Designs of Kartarpur corridor, roads and other technical affairs would be discussed in the meeting which would be attended by the engineers, NIH and other officials,” sources added.

On March 14, Pakistan and India agreed to hold a second round of dialogue to finalize the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor on April 2.

Talking to media upon his return from India Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said that technical team and experts are scheduled to discuss issues relating to the corridor, its construction, road, and other technicalities.

He praised the Indian delegation by stating that they [India] were welcoming and the environment was conducive.

The meeting was held on the draft agreement of Kartarpur corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Narowal district with Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur.

The project, with 40 per cent of the work already done, is being anticipated to be completed just before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019 with a community-wide groundbreaking ceremony for Sikh pilgrims at the Gurdwara in Kartarpur Sahib.

Later, the building of a passenger terminal building (PTB complex) at the cost of Rs190 crores was approved, which will be able to handle immigration and customs clearance facilities for5000 pilgrims every day. In the second phase, a hospital and accommodation for temporary staying will also be built. A bridge over Ravi river will also be built for the crossing of pilgrims.

The corridor can pave a way for “facilitating and fortifying” people-to-people bonds of the two countries.