Month after Pulwama attack, India-Pakistan to hold dialogue on Kartarpur Corridor today

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan will hold a dialogue to discuss the modalities on Kartarpur Corridor project on Thursday at Attari, near Amritsar.

A Pakistani delegation will visit India for this meet. This will be followed by an Indian delegation's visit to Islamabad on March 28.

Visa-free access to the corridor, linking Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur town to Gurdaspur district in Punjab, are expected to be raised in the meeting.

The meeting comes amid simmering tensions between the two nations and exactly a month after the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans.

The Indian delegation will comprise of representative of the Home Ministry, External Affairs Ministry, Border Security Force, National Highways Authority of India and Punjab government, reported news agency PTI. New Delhi is also likely to ask Islamabad to insulate them from any propaganda by Khalistani separatists, added the report.

Meanwhile, Pakistan expressed disappointment over India's decision to not issue visas to Pakistani journalists to cover the first historic meet on Kartarpur Corridor between the two nations.

"Regrettable that India has not given visas to Pakistani journalists for the Kartarpur meeting tomorrow," Dr Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted. 

"Hope the #PakKartarpurSpirit and meeting tomorrow will bring a change for the better for people of both countries," he added.

“Talks will be held tomorrow. It is an initiative of Pakistan. Pakistan wants to open the  Kartarpur corridor so that the Sikh pilgrims can visit it,” said Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan to India, Syed Haider Shah told ANI on Wednesday.