Kartarpur corridor foundation laying event: India protests Imran Khan’s reference to Kashmir during ‘a pious occasion’

Kartarpur corridor foundation laying event: India protests Imran Khan’s reference to Kashmir during ‘a pious occasion’

News:

1. India deeply regretted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s reference to Jammu and Kashmir during the pious moment of groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor.

Important Facts:

2. According to statement issued by Ministry of External Affairs, politicising the pious occasion meant to realise the long pending demand of the Sikh community to develop a Kartarpur corridor by making unwarranted reference to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India is not acceptable.
3. India also stated that Pakistan must fulfil its international obligations and take effective and credible action to stop providing shelter and all kind of support to cross-border terrorism from territories under its control.
4. Background:

• The demand for Kartarpur corridor had gathered pace in 1995, and leaders from both sides, including Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Benazir Bhutto, had pushed for it.
• The visa-free corridor is aimed to facilitate pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi river in Pakistan, where Shri Guru Nanak Dev spent eighteen years.
• The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding, to provide smooth and easy passage, with all the modern amenities.

5. Way Forward: It is important that issues related to the corridor are managed in a non-political manner and details left to diplomats and officials to sort out for instance, the issue of Indian consular access to pilgrims.