ISLAMABAD - India seems frustrated over the excellent diplomatic initiative launched by Pakistan.
Wary of Pakistan’s invitation to negotiations over the agreement on the planned Kartarpur Corridor, India on Tuesday did not accept Pakistan invitation on Kartarpur corridor.
Instead India asked Pakistani officials to visit New Delhi for talks on the issue and suggested Feb 26 and March 7 as the two possible dates for the meeting.
“India has also proposed two set of dates, 26 February and 7 March 2019, for the visit of Pakistan delegation to New Delhi to discuss and finalise the modalities so that the Indian pilgrims can visit the holy Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor at the earliest,” the Indian external affairs ministry said in a statement issued in New Delhi.
The statement was issued in response to the draft agreement shared with India on Monday and the accompanying invitation to initiation of negotiations for its finalisation.
By giving a counter-invitation to Pakistan instead of accepting its invitation for negotiations, India seemed to be avoiding the tough choice between rejecting the proposal and accepting Islamabad’s call for talks.