Daily Times

Technical experts from India and Pakistan met on Tuesday at the proposed zero points to discuss and finalise the development of the Kartarpur Corridor, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

“The meeting between technical experts of Pakistan and India was held at the Zero Point of the Kartarpur Corridor. The meeting was held in a positive and constructive environment,” the statement issued by the FO read. “Both sides jointly surveyed the coordinates of the Zero Point and discussed the technical details, including finished road level, high flood level, etc,” it continued. “The two sides agreed on some technical aspects and details and expressed the hope to finalize the other modalities at the earliest,” it concluded.

Talks were held between the delegations of Pakistan and India at Attari Complex, Amritsar, earlier this month which gave the two sides an opportunity to sort out modalities for the opening of the corridor between Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan and Gurdwara Baba Nanak in India for the upcoming 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in December this year.

Director General South Asia and SAARC Dr Faisal had led the Pakistani delegation, comprising high officials of Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Communications, National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Indian side was headed by Joint Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs SCL Das.

The next meeting between officials from the two countries is scheduled to be held at Wagah on April 2. This time an Indian delegation will visit Pakistan for the meeting.

Kartarpur is a small town in Narowal, some four kilometres from the Pakistan-India border, where the founder of Sikh religion Baba Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life. Subsequently, Gurdwara Darbar Sahab was built at the site on the Pakistan side and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak in India, which are visited by thousands of Sikhs every year.

Published in Daily Times, March 20^th 2019.