Kartarpur deal.

WITH much bad blood currently being witnessed in the Pakistan-India relationship - primarily because of the crackdown in India-held Kashmir - the signing of the Kartarpur Corridor deal between the two states on Thursday is a welcome bit of news. High officials from both states signed the agreement that will allow Indian Sikhs to visit the revered religious site in Punjab's Narowal district without a visa, after having registered in advance. As per the Foreign Office, up to 5,000 visitors can be accommodated daily through the agreement, with the capacity to handle more. The deal is evidence that the government is thinking ahead and making a peace offering despite strained bilateral ties. While there are many issues to be sorted out between Pakistan and India - with Kashmir topping the list - some progress can be made in other sectors, particularly people-to-people contacts. In this regard, the restoration of bus and train services between the two states could be a first step. In fact, progress on 'soft' issues may well lead to a breakthrough on the more difficult questions, as walls of hatred and mistrust slowly begin to crumble through engagement and dialogue at the popular level. This might seem like a far-fetched idea in the current circumstances, but such efforts may well break the ice.

Indeed, religious tourism has...