Pakistan expects Indian team soon to finalise corridor plan.

Byline: SHAFQAT ALI

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan is expecting an Indian team soon to finalise the Kartarpur Corridor plan, officials said on Tuesday. Senior officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation, that there will be talks in the coming days to formalise the Kartarpur Corridor project - aimed at facilitating the Indian Sikh community. 'We are in contact with India and hopefully a team will soon visit Pakistan to finalise the arrangements. There is no disagreement so far on anything. Both sides (Pakistan and India) are optimistic for peace through this project,' said one official.

Another official said that Pakistan was committed to complete the project in the given time. 'It is now up to India to lend a helping hand by cooperating,' he added.

This week, Pakistan shared the draft agreement between Pakistan and the India to facilitate Indian Sikh Yatrees (pilgrims) to visit the Gurudwara, Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan. This was in line with the Prime Minister Imran Khan's commitment to open Kartarpur Corridor on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in November this year. Pakistan has appointed Director General South Asia Dr Mohammed Faisal as the focal person and requested India to designate a focal person at its end. Pakistan has also invited India to urgently send a delegation to Islamabad to negotiate and finalize the agreement.

Prime Minister Khan had inaugurated the groundbreaking of the Kartarpur corridor on November 28 last year. Pakistan took this step to accommodate the longstanding request of the Sikh community, especially from India particularly in view of 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. India had sent Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri for the inaugural event in the Pakistani side. Indian Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu also participated. The Pakistan-India ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place. The nuclear armed neighbours, having fought three wars since gaining independence from the British in 1947, regularly trade allegations of harassment and espionage against diplomats.

Tensions between...