India shares Kartarpur Corridor crossing point coordinates with Pakistan

India on Tuesday shared with Pakistan the coordinates of the Kartarpur Corridor crossing point along the International Border with Pakistan to enable Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.

"Pursuant to the decision taken by the government of India on November 22, 2018, to expeditiously realise the long pending proposal to establish Kartarpur Corridor, India has today (Tuesday) shared the coordinates of the zero point (crossing point) of the corridor along the International Border with Pakistan," said an External Affairs Ministry statement.

"India has also proposed two set of dates, February 26 and March 7, 2019, for the visit of Pakistan delegation to New Delhi to discuss and finalise the modalities so that Indian pilgrims can visit the holy Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor at the earliest," it stated.

The Union Cabinet in November last year decided to develop the Kartarpur Corridor from Gurdaspur in Punjab to the International Border to facilitate pilgrims' passage to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan as part of the 550th birth year celebrations of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, later this year year.

Later that month, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan performed the ground-breaking ceremony to develop the corridor in the presence of Indian Ministers.

According to reports, in December, Pakistan issued 14 key recommendations to India on the Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate visa-free pilgrimage by Indian Sikhs to the holy gurdwara.

--IANS

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