New Delhi is reluctant on opening Kartarpur Corridor, says FO spokesperson

Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said there has been no formal communication regarding opening the Kartarpur Corridor between Pakistan and India, Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday.
"However, Pakistan is open [for discussion] on the issue," Dr Faisal said during his weekly media briefing.
Earlier this month, the government had said that it had proposed to open the Kartarpur border crossing with India for Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib without a visa.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Pakistan Sikh Council held a press conference at the Karachi Press Club to thank the government over their decision to open the Kartarpur border for the 550th birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak.
"This is good news not just for the Sikh communities of both Pakistan and India but for Sikhs living all over the world as well as it will enable Sikh pilgrims to visit their places of worship here without a visa, representatives of the community said during the press conference.
Responding to a question, the FO spokesperson said that a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Shusma Swaraj has not been finalised yet.
The FO spokesperson also said that Pakistan denounces the use of force by India against innocent civilians in held Kashmir.
He said that ongoing human rights violations in India-held Kashmir by the New Delhi regime are highly condemnable.
Dr Faisal said that blatant human rights violations in India-held Kashmir are on the rise. He said Indian forces killed 14 youth in Kulgam, Sopore, and Samba areas recently.
Replying to another question, Dr Faisal said the next meeting of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) is expected to be held in the second week of October.
He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan have also discussed the restoration of the consular services in Jalalabad as soon as possible.
 The Sikh community in Pakistan urged the Indian government on Wednesday to open of Kartarpur border to facilitate movement of Sikh prisoners.
The patron-in-chief of Pakistan Sikh Council, Sardar Ramesh Singh Khalsa, encouraged India on Tuesday to extend the “hand of friendship” as Pakistan has already taken two steps forward if long-lasting peace is desired.
If opened, the border crossing will allow Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartar Singh and Pakistanis to visit Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side.
According to Khalsa, it has been a long pending demand of Sikhs to open Kartarpur the border for pilgrims.
Earlier, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke of opening the border in Kartarpur for the anniversary of Guru Nanak with former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu at Prime Minister Imran’s oath-taking ceremony.
Khalsa further said that Pakistan’s Sikh community, including those residing in Sindh, are thankful to the new government for announcing the opening of the border before the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak in Nankana Sahib.
“Pakistan is a peaceful country and it hopes to change the mindset of all the Sikh pilgrims from India and around the world”, he added.



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