India-Pakistan first 'cordial' meeting on Kartarpur corridor ends, next meet on April 2 at Wagah

A joint statement was issued by India Pakistan which said that both sides held detailed and constructive discussions on various aspects and provisions of the project and agreed to work towards expeditiously operationalising the Kartapur Sahib Corridor (KSC).

By : ABP News Bureau | Updated at : 14 Mar 2019 05:30 PM (IST)

India, Pakistan first 'cordial' meeting on Kartarpur corridor ends, next meet on April 2 at Wagah India-Pakistan first 'cordial' meeting on Kartarpur corridor ends, next meet on April 2 at Wagah

It said the two sides also held expert-level discussions between the technical experts on the alignment and other details of the proposed corridor./ IMAGE: Twitter/ MEAIndia

The meeting took place amid heightened tensions between the two neighbours

The Indian delegation at the meeting was led by SCL Das, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs

A joint statement issued after the talks said both sides held detailed and constructive discussions on various aspects and provisions of the project

Attari: In the shadow of escalating tension in their ties and a month after the Pulwama terror attack killed 40 CRPF troopers, Indian and Pakistani officials met on Thursday in a "cordial environment" for their first meeting. The meeting, which took place on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah border, was conducted to finalise the modalities for a corridor linking Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan town of Kartarpur with Gurdaspur district in Punjab. A joint statement issued after the talks said both sides held detailed and constructive discussions on various aspects and provisions of the project and agreed to work towards expeditiously operationalising the Kartapur Sahib Corridor (KSC). "The first meeting to discuss the modalities and the draft agreement for facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the Kartarpur corridor was held today at Attari, India, in a cordial environment," it said.

Respecting the sentiments of the people
Talks concluded on various aspects and provisions of the operationalisation of #KartarpurCorridor on the occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji Joint Press Statement at https://t.co/80pHULecY7 pic.twitter.com/zUaaTYcajH — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) March 14, 2019

The meeting took place amid heightened tensions between the two neighbours following India's air strike on a terrorist training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Pakistan's subsequent retaliation. The Indian delegation at the meeting was led by SCL Das, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs while the Pakistani team was headed by Dr Mohammad Faisal, DG (South Asia and SAARC) of Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Both sides held detailed and constructive discussions on various aspects and provisions of the proposed agreement and agreed to work towards expeditiously operationalising the Kartapur Sahib Corridor," the statement said. It said the two sides also held expert-level discussions between the technical experts on the alignment and other details of the proposed corridor. It was agreed to hold the next meeting at Wagah on April 2 and it will be preceded by a meeting of the technical experts on March 19 at the proposed zero points to finalise the alignment of the corridor, according to the statement. Last November, India and Pakistan agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had on November 26 last year laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district. Two days later, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the corridor in Narowal, 125 km from Lahore. (agency inputs) Also Watch: Here's how Masood Azhar can be listed as a global terrorist without China's support

Published at : 14 Mar 2019 05:15 PM (IST)

Tags :

Kartarpur Pulwama Pakistan India