India's decision on Kartarpur corridor not in response to Pakistani proposal

India's decision on Thursday to build a corridor from Gurdaspur in Punjab to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan for the Sikh pilgrims ahead of the 550th birth year celebrations of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak next year is not in response to any proposal from Islamabad.

The Union Cabinet passed the resolution on the Kartarpur corridor project after many weeks of internal consultations and preparations within the government. Official sources said this was in an apparent bid to scotch reports that the government initiative came after Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's recent visit to Pakistan, where he had raked up the issue.

The resolution is a comprehensive document that contains detailed information on the plans for the celebrations of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, not just on the corridor.

"Any suggestion that the corridor or the celebrations are being planned as a response to a Pakistani proposal is not only preposterous, but hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikh community," the sources said.

Following India's decision, Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said New Delhi's move was an endorsement of Islamabad's proposition on the issue.

"It is a step in the right direction and we hope such steps will encourage voice of reason and tranquility on both sides of the border," Chaudhry tweeted.

The proposal for a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib, the place where the holy gurdwara, built on the site where Guru Nanak died in 1539, is located, has been a longstanding demand from India for 20 years, but Pakistan refused to acknowledge this all these years.

Earlier in the day, India urged Pakistan to complete construction of the corridor on its side with suitable facilities.

--IANS

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