Pakistan regrets India’s decision not to grant visas to journalists for Kartapura meeting

Islamabad: Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Wednesday regretted India’s decision to not grant visas to Pakistani journalists to cover the Kartarpur meeting scheduled on Thursday The FO spokesperson in a Twitter and said, “More than 30 Indian journalists covered the Kartarpur groundbreaking ceremony in Pakistan last year. They also met Prime Minister and were hosted by Foreign Minister for a dinner during their stay.”  He regretted that India has not given visas to Pakistani journalists for the Kartarpur meeting to be held on Thursday.  He Hoped that Pak-Kartarpur-Spirit and meeting will bring a change for the better for people of both countries..                                          During the meeting Pakistan and India will be exchanging delegations to discuss the draft agreement of Kartarpur corridor between the two countries. Pakistani delegates will visit New Delhi on March 14 to discuss the draft agreement on Kartarpur corridor, followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on March 28. The proposal to construct the corridor providing visa-free access to Sikh pilgrims was renewed by Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in August last 2018. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province holds religious significance for the Sikh community. It is where Baba Guru Nanak settled down after his travels as a missionary. He lived there for 18 years until his death in 1539. Pakistan will build the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India. In November last year, Prime Minister Imran had laid the foundation stone for the corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur area of Narowal district with Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur District. Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, Indian Minister for Food Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Indian Minister for Housing Hardeep S Puri had attended the groundbreaking ceremony.