- Foreign Ministry says Islamabad will continue to do what is right in order to advance the noble initiative
- Inauguration ceremony was attended by India cabinet ministers too
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said it rejects the Indian media’s ‘negative propaganda campaign’ against the Kartarpur Corridor, even as it vowed to continue to do what is right in order to advance the noble initiative.
“We are deeply dismayed at the relentless negative propaganda campaign which is being waged by a section of the Indian media against Pakistan on the ‘Kartarpur Corridor’ Initiative,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
It added: “We categorically reaffirm that the initiative to open this Corridor has been taken by the Government of Pakistan solely in deference to the longstanding wishes of our Sikh brethren, and especially in the wake of the forthcoming 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev ji. Attributing any other motives is purely malicious.”
The Foreign Ministry said that Pakistan had received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Sikh community “not only in India and Pakistan but also from across the globe”.
It reiterated that the government and the people of Pakistan shared their joy, with a solemn promise to make every possible contribution for a befitting celebration to mark Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary next year. “We are convinced that those seeking to sow negativity around this initiative for partisan purposes or due to their known anti-Pakistan proclivities will not succeed in their designs,” the statement read, adding that “Pakistan will continue do what is right for advancing this noble initiative”.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan set the foundation stone to kickstart the construction of the project on November 28 at an inauguration ceremony which was attended by a few political leaders from India. Once complete, the corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in the Gurdaspur district of India.
“Pakistan would now proceed with the development of the physical infrastructure for the corridor on its side of the border. We also look forward to working out necessary details and modalities with the Indian side concerning the passage through the corridor,” the statement read, adding that the inauguration of the project has created another moment of hope for the people of India and Pakistan.
“We hope every effort would be made to preserve and take the Kartarpur spirit forward,” the statement said.