ISLAMABAD – Islamabad says there are “zero” contacts between Pakistan andIndia, despite the opening of a border crossing between the twonuclear-armed neighbors for Indian pilgrims to visit a Sikh temple, whichwas a landmark act of cooperation between the two rivals.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi described the gloomypicture of Islamabad-New Delhi relations during an interview with Reuterson Friday, the news organization reported on Saturday.
He added that the bilateral ties had not been as strained as they are nowsince the two sides fought on their border for months in the northern areaof Kargil back in 1999.
“There is no back channel. We’ve had wars, things have been worse thanthis, but things are bad,” Qureshi said.
Under a border crossing pact signed by the two sides, Sikh pilgrims areallowed to have a visa-free access from India to the Pakistani town ofKartarpur, home to a temple marking the site where the founder of Sikhism,Guru Nanak, died.
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“The founder of Sikhism was born here. This is our real home,” said a32-year-old pilgrim from New Delhi on his first visit to Pakistan, addingthat Pakistani and Indian Sikhs, though wearing different lanyards, havemingled inside the temple complex.
In a statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan described the pact as a“testimony of our commitment towards peace of the region.”
Both Islamabad and New Delhi hope that when fully operational, around 5,000pilgrims will be able to cross into Pakistan on a daily basis via the newcheckpoint, a huge increase on current numbers.
