Kartarpur Corridor: Sowing negativity reflects bad intentions: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday said the historic Kartarpur Corridor project testified to its desire to have good ties with the eastern and the western neighbours, and linking this noble initiative with something sinister reflected bad intentions. The corridor will allow the Indian Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to Kartarpur shrine.

Responding to the growing hate campaign in India against Pakistan for going ahead with the corridor initiative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said Pakistan is deeply disappointed by the campaign.

It said Pakistan will neither be deterred nor will it step back from going ahead with the initiative and expressed the hope that India will join it to work out modalities to ensure that everything is in place for the forthcoming 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

The “regional stability is essential for economic prosperity. It is the nation’s collective desire to establish good relations with both our eastern and western neighbours,” said Shah Mehmood Qureshi. “We are convinced that those seeking to sow negativity around this initiative for partisan purposes or due to their known anti-Pakistan proclivities will not succeed in their designs. The Government of Pakistan will continue to do what is right for advancing this noble initiative,” said the Foreign Office in a statement.

Pakistan will now build the corridor on its side of the International Border. “We also look forward to working out necessary details and modalities with the Indian side concerning the passage through the corridor,” it said. The inauguration of the corridor project on both sides has brought hope to the peoples of India and Pakistan, and the PTI government hopes every effort will be made to preserve and take forward the Kartarpur spirit. “We categorically reaffirm that the initiative to open this corridor was taken by the Government of Pakistan solely in deference to the longstanding wishes of our Sikh brethren, and especially in the wake of the forthcoming 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Attributing any other motives is purely malicious,” it added.

“We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Sikh community -- not only in India and Pakistan, but also from across the globe.

The Government and people of Pakistan fully share their joy on this historic breakthrough and solemnly affirm that they will make every possible contribution to a befitting celebration of the auspicious occasion of Baba Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary in 2019,” commented the ministry. It is also a matter of satisfaction that while the Modi government is certainly not on one page with various political parties and the army chief, it conveniently forgets that it instructed its ministers both from the Centre and the Punjab to attend the ground breaking ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan, members of his cabinet and the Army Chief.

“The presence of thousands of Sikh yatrees visiting Pakistan from India and other parts of the world made the occasion even more poignant,” the Foreign Office further said.