The Union home ministry is livid and wants Pakistan to come clean on its intent on the Kartarpur corridor. Home ministry sources said Pakistan has made several “back door” changes to the proposed plan, which clearly demonstrates that it is not interested in providing easy access for Indian pilgrims to Kartarpur Sahib.
Even as India and Pakistan decided to iron out differences on the modalities, a major point of contention was Pakistan’s move to restrict the duration of the agreement to two years. This caveat from Pakistan has come despite India making it clear that it is executing “long lasting and comprehensive” facilities at the border, the first phase of which has already begun at a cost of Rs 190 crore.
On Thursday, at the first joint meeting at Attari, delegations from both sides discussed the differences. Sources in MHA said not Pakistan restricted entry to only Indian passport holders, leaving out the large population of Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders who are devotees. It has also brought through the back door an “entry fee”, along with special permits, which is an “outrageous” step and defeats the very purpose of the corridor.
This meant that even the small number of 700 pilgrims being allowed by Pakistan on specific “visiting days” will need to pay a fees and require special permits.
Sources said while India has made all efforts to fulfil the long-standing aspirations of Indian devotees, Pakistan has once again indulged in “double speak” and delivered nothing as compared to the tall claims it made.
What has also irked the ministry is the rampant encroachment of land of the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, by the Pakistan government under the pretext of building the corridor. A strong demand has been made by the Indian side for the restoration of these lands to the holy gurudwara keeping in mind the sentiments of the Indian people.
