New Delhi | Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday denied reports of any official communication with Pakistan government over the Indian Pilgrims visit to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.
In a letter to the Union Minister, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, EAM Swaraj stated that the Pakistani government under the bilateral protocol between both the neighbouring countries has neither agreed to include visits to Kartarpur Sahib by Indian pilgrims nor has sent any official communication for establishing the corridor.
Swaraj in a letter dated September 15 to Badal wrote,” Dear Ma’am, I received your letter of 13 September 2018 regarding facilitating visits of the Indian pilgrims, including through a corridor, to the holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib located in Pakistan. The Government has been taking up the matter with Pakistan. However, Pakistan has so far neither agreed to include visits to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib by the Indian pilgrims under the bilateral protocol on visits to religious shrines of 1974 nor has it sent any official communication for establishing a corridor.”
“Over past many years, Pakistani authorities have only allowed a limited number of visits of the Indian pilgrims to the Gurudwara along with the visit to other shrines in Pakistan,” added Swaraj.
Assuring a talk with Pakistan over this issue, Swaraj wrote, “Government remains seized of the matter and will continue to take up the matter with Pakistan.”
Meanwhile, criticising the Congress Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu over this issue, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged,” Sidhu claimed that he hugged Pakistan Army General Bajwa as Bajwa said Kartarpur corridor will be opened, but the truth is, no Pakistani government has so far communicated anything on this.” Addressing the Press Conference she further added, “Everyone forgot that he (Sidhu) went to an enemy nation. Weeks passed, but the Congress minister couldn’t produce any document.”
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
