India snubs Pakistan offer, calls it ‘mirage of goodwill’
Indian Government sources on Saturday snubbed and rejected an offer by Pakistan to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Indian pilgrims on June 29 on the occasion of the death anniversary of the great 19th century Emperor of the Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh, saying that ‘Pakistan is trying to create a mirage of goodwill’ but has proposed this at the very short notice of just two days. Sources said there should be at least seven days of advance notice as per the pact between the two nations due to preparations that need to be made for registration.
Sources also pointed out that any cross-border travel can only be permitted in consultation with health authorities, adding that ‘with the advent of monsoon, it would need to be evaluated whether pilgrim movement is possible through the corridor in a safe and secure manner’.
Sources also said that Pakistan has not built the bridge on their side across the flood plains of Ravi river despite having committed to it in the bilateral agreement.
This comes at a time of rock-bottom bilateral ties when both countries are reducing their staff strength at their respective high commissions in each other’s capital by half, after India fired the salvo earlier this week on Tuesday.
Pakistan had ‘temporarily closed’ the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on March this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Both countries had inaugurated the Kartarpur Sahib corridor on both sides of the border (Indian and Pakistani Punjab) in November last year for the 550th birth anniversary of the first Guru of the Sikhs and founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.
The corridor leads to the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara — now located close to the border in Pakistani Punjab — where Guru Nanak had spent the last years of his life in the 16th century AD.
Hailing the Kartarpur Corridor as a ‘true symbol of peace and religious harmony’, Pakistan on Saturday morning had offered to open the corridor on Monday, saying that as ‘religious places are gradually opening up around the world, Pakistan has also made necessary arrangements to reopen Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Sikh pilgrims’.
Islamabad also invited New Delhi ‘to work out necessary Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for reopening of the corridor to ensure adherence to health guidelines’.