ISLAMABAD – A breakthrough is reported in the strained Pakistan India tiesas the arch rivals are likely to open the long closed Kartarpur border.
Pakistan India resumed dialogue to open the border crossing at Kartarpur,located in tehsil Shakargarh of Narowal district.
Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria toured the area.
Legislative Assembly of India’s Punjab passed a unanimous resolution totake up the issue of opening the border crossing for the 550th birthdaycelebrations of Baba Guru Nanak (April 15 1469 – Sept 22 1539), the founderof Sikhism and the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus.
The Indian envoy was briefed regarding the Sikh holy place in Kartarpur,located about 13 kilometres east of Narowal and less than five kilometresfrom the border with India. It is pertinent to mention here that Chief ofArmy Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa shared the idea to open the bordercrossing from Kartarpur with former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu atPrime Minister Imran Khan’s oath taking ceremony.
In April, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the Pakistan SikhGurdwara Parbandhak Committee decided to grant visas to 10,000 Sikhs fromIndia to participate in the 550th birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak.Pakistani officials have given a green signal to Shiromani Committee, thelargest representatives of Sikhs, and other small groups to take part inthe celebrations.
After mutual consultation, the two bodies decided that the number ofpilgrims, in accordance with the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits toReligious Shrines, will be increased from 3,000 to 10,000. Further, therewill be no restrictions on the number of Sikhs coming to Pakistan fromother countries. Pakistan will issue visas to the Shiromani community andother groups, according to the quota.