India, Pak suggest different border crossing points

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan have proposed different border crossing points for the planned corridor to allow Indian pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan’s Punjab and the matter is expected to be resolved when officials of the two sides meet next month, the external affairs ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

New Delhi had recently provided the coordinates for a cross- ing point to Islamabad. “From the Pakistan side, we have received a response where they have suggested an alternate border crossing point,” spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told a news briefing.

Officials of the two sides, who are expected to meet in New Delhi on March 14, will take up the issue of the different coordinates for the crossing point and the Indian side is hopeful there will be an agreement on the matter, he said.

“We had also proposed that we will hold technical-level discussions (among) engineers and this shouldn’t be held hostage to the main meeting which will take place on March 14. We still await a response from the Pakistani side on this,” Kumar said.

India believes the technical discussions will facilitate the early establishment of requisite infrastructure and finalisation of the alignment of the corridor, he added.

India and Pakistan were earlier scheduled to hold the first meeting of officials to finalise modalities for the Kartarpur corridor on March 13. A follow-up meeting is expected to be held in Pakistan when required, Indian officials had said earlier.

The two sides unveiled plans last November to build the corridor to facilitate visits without visas by Indian pilgrims to the gurdwara at the site where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, died in 1539.

They have also said they plan to open the corridor on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November 2019.