Corridor path to peace: Pak media

PROPOSED CORRIDOR HAS BEEN FIGURING PROMINENTLY ON THE FRONT PAGES OF THE MAJOR NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTRY

CHANDIGARH: Calling it a pathbreaking peace initiative by prime minister Imran Khan, the Pakistani media establishment has been largely celebratory about the move to open the Kartarpur corridor.

The proposed corridor has been figuring prominently on the front pages of the major newspapers of the country besides being the fodder for discussion in the electronic media. In an editorial on November 24, Dawn, a leading newspaper of the country, wrote, “India has accepted the Pakistani offer to build a new border crossing to facilitate pilgrims. In this case at least, the two states have overcome their mutual distrust to give their people a chance to mingle.”

On Monday, the papers went to town with federal minister for railways Sheik hR as hid Ahmed’ s statement that the Pakistan government will provide land to Sikh organisations for the construction of modern hotels in Kartarpur, Nankana Sahib and Narowal, besides revamping a railway station in Kartarpur to provide state-of-the-art board and lodging facilities to Sikh pilgrims visiting Pakistan.

Dawn said Pakistan Railways (PR) had offered 10 acres each in Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib and five acres in Narowal to Sikh organisations for setting up fivestar hotels to facilitate Sikh pilgrims.

Trains would be run from Nankana Sahib to Kartarpur and hostels would be constructed near all Sikh pilgrimage sites.

Earlier, Radio Pakistan was quick to broadcast foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s statement welcoming India’s decision to send Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri for the foundation laying ceremony of the corridor on the Pakistani side.

Qureshi termed India’s decision as a “positive response to Pakistan’s move”.

“India has responded well to Pakistan’s initiative in its bid to bring the Sikh community closer,” he told the Associated Press of Pakistan.

Earlier on Sunday, Express Tribune highlighted the statement of Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, the information and broadcasting minister, saying, “Pakistan, through its conduct, has once again proved that it stands for peace in South Asia.” The move, the daily said, had the support of the world and European Union.