India cold shoulders Pakistan's proposal to reopen Kartarpur Corridor

Islamabad conveyed to New Delhi its proposal to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor from Monday.

“As places of worship open up across the world, Pakistan prepares to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for all Sikh pilgrims, conveying to the Indian side our readiness to reopen the corridor on 29 June 2020, the occasion of the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh,” tweeted Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

New Delhi did not reject the proposal but signaled its reluctance to reopen the corridor. Sources in New Delhi also accused Pakistan Government of “trying to create a mirage of goodwill”.

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The “Kartarpur Corridor” was formally opened last November to facilitate the pilgrims from India to cross over to Pakistan and visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur without any hassle. The Gurdwara by the river Ravi is revered as among the holiest for the Sikhs as it marks the place where Guru Nanak lived for 18 years and finally breathed his last in 1539.

It was shut in March when the Governments of the two countries restricted cross-border travel of people to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus

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New Delhi noted that Pakistan Foreign Minister’s tweet had come just two days before the day he proposed to reopen the corridor, whereas the bilateral agreement required India to share the information about the pilgrims with the neighboring country at least seven days before the date of travel. India would need time to open registration and collate the information about the pilgrims to share it with Pakistan.

“Besides,” a source in New Delhi said, “Pakistan has not built the bridge on their side across the flood plains of Ravi River despite having committed to it in the bilateral agreement. With the advent of monsoon, it would need to be evaluated whether pilgrim movement is possible through the corridor in a safe and secure manner”.