A rare positive gesture from India in hostile Indo Pak relations
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NEW DELHI - Indian external affairs ministry has decided not to call off the planned meeting with Pakistan over the Kartarpur corridor scheduled on March 14, Indian media has reported.
EAM is ready for a meeting of officials of the two countries in India on March 14 to finalise modalities and decide the coordinates for the crossing point of the corridor on the international border .
The two sides are also expected to discuss a draft agreement that will allow Indian pilgrims to travel without visas.
Last year, the two sides announced plans to build the corridor, which will link Dera Baba Nanak in India with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, and to complete the project in time for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, in November.
Recent India-Pakistan tensions fuelled speculation that the March 14 meeting could be called off, but the people cited above said that India is ready for holding talks as scheduled. India accepted a proposal made by Pakistan for the meeting, and New Delhi is fully prepared for holding talks on the Kartarpur corridor next week, the people said.
They added that India is going ahead with the meeting as the corridor deals with the sentiments of a very significant part of the country’s population, and any Pakistani delegation coming for talks will be welcomed.
A statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Tuesday said a delegation will visit New Delhi on March 14 and this will be followed by the return visit of an Indian delegation to Islamabad on March 28 to discuss the draft agreement.
