2nd round of Kartarpur talks held in Wagah

World Sunday 14/July/2019 17:44 PM
By: Times News Service

New Delhi: The second round of talks between Pakistan and India on the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor began in Wagah on Sunday.

The Indian delegation was led by SCL Das, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs while the Pakistani delegation was headed by Dr Muhammad Faisal, Director General South Asia and Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a tweet posted on Sunday afternoon, Faisal stated, "Consensus reached on 80% issues regarding #KartarpurCorridor, whereas the rest of issues will also be resolved during future talks."

Faisal added that 70% of construction work on terminal building and #KartarpurCorridor in Pakistan side had been completed.

Ravesh Kumar, a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "Progress made in discussions on modalities & draft Agreement. We are fully confident to commence pilgrimage through #KartarpurCorridor on 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in Nov 2019."

The corridor is an initiative launched by the government of Pakistan and is being constructed to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

The Kartarpur Corridor was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 28 2018. It is expected to be around 4.5 kilometres long according to the Government of Pakistan.

The corridor will connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur located in Narowal,Pakistan with the shrine of Dera Baba Nana Sahib in Gurdaspur, India. It will serve as a road link between India and Pakistan for Sikh pilgrims to visit the final resting place of Guru Nanak.

The corridor will also provide visa-free passage for Sikh pilgrims.