US Welcomes Construction Of Kartarpur Corrdior For Sikh Pilgrims

US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said it was certainly a good news report and that the US encourages it.

Kartarpur Corridor

New Delhi: As India and Pakistan reached an agreement on several modalities in the construction of Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims, the United States welcomed the development and hailed it as an incredibly supportive step boosting people to people ties between India and Pakistan. Indian and Pakistani delegates met on July 14 and held second round of bilateral talks to decide upon the several modalities of the Kartarpur Corridor pilgrimage and agreed to a majority of those. US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said it was certainly a good news report and that the US encourages it. "Anything that increases people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan is something that we are incredibly supportive of," the spokesperson told reporters. Once opened, the three-km corridor will allow Sikh pilgrims direct access to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, where Guru Nanak Dev passed away in 1539. Sunday's talks between Indian and Pakistani delegations also reviewed the progress reached in the three rounds of technical meetings held in March, April and May this year. The two sides endorsed the crossing point or the 'zero-point' coordinates that were agreed to at the technical level. The corridor is expected to be completed by September end. (with inputs from ANI)