In a significant development, Pakistan and India will hold talks today (Thursday) on opening of Kartarpur Corridor, an initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan to open the Corridor on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in November this year.
Director General South Asia and Saarc, Dr Mohammad Faisal will lead Pakistan's delegation in the talks being held at Attari, the Indian side of the border. Other members of the delegation include officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, interior, law and justice and religious affairs who would travel to India via Wagah Border.
A session of technical experts of Pakistan and India will also be held at Attari simultaneously in which the two sides will discuss the issues relating to the Corridor, its construction, road, and other technicalities. On the other hand, the Indian delegation will visit Pakistan for Kartarpur talks on 28th of this month.
"Hope the Pakistan Kartarpur spirit and meeting tomorrow [Thursday] will bring a change for the better for people of both countries," Spokesperson said Foreign Office Dr Mohammad Faisal in a tweet.
The spokesperson also regretted the denial of visas to Pakistani journalists by India, intending to visit India for the coverage of meeting. "Regrettable that India has not given visas to Pakistani journalists for the Kartarpur meeting...More than 30 Indian journalists covered the Kartarpur groundbreaking ceremony in Pakistan last year," Dr Faisal stated in another tweet.
He also stated that the Indian journalists who visited Pakistan last year also met Prime Minister Imran Khan and were hosted by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at a dinner during their stay in the country.
On January 21 this year, Pakistan shared a draft agreement between the government of Pakistan and the government of India for facilitation of (Indian) Sikh Yatrees to visit the Gurudwara, Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan, with the New Delhi through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor on November 28, 2018. The talks at Attari come days after a tensed episode between the two countries in the aftermath of the Pulwama incident.