Kartarpur corridor not connected with dialogue with Pakistan: Sushma Swaraj

Hyderabad: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Wednesday said the Kartarpur corridor initiative is not connected with the dialogue process with Pakistan and talks can start the moment Islamabad stops terror activities in India.

India has been asking for a corridor, which will facilitate visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, for many years and she said she was happy that Pakistan had for the first time responded positively.

“But that does not mean that bilateral talks will start only on this,” she said, adding that terror and talks can’t go together. Swaraj, who is campaigning here ahead of the Telangana elections on December 7, was addressing a press conference.

“The moment Pakistan stops terrorist activities in India, the dialogue can start but the dialogue is not connected with only the Kartarpur corridor,” she said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will on Wednesday lay the foundation stone for the much-awaited corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev – to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. The Kartarpur corridor is expected to be completed within six months.