No formal communication with India on Kartarpur corridor: Pakistan

New Delhi: The Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday said that there has been no formal communication yet about Kartarpur Sahib corridor. The Pakistan Ministry, however, added that Pakistan remains open and positive about the matter. "There has not been a formal communication yet. Pakistan remains open and positive but there has not been a formal communication yet," said Mohammad Faisal, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan.

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu had triggered a political storm back home when he visited Islamabad to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his friend and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan as the Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 18. During the ceremony, he had hugged the Pakistan Army chief, pictures and videos of which went viral on social media.

Following his visit to Pakistan, the Congress leader had claimed that he had been virtually instrumental in getting the Kartarpur corridor opened to the public. He had even written a letter to Sushma Swaraj over the issue, urging the Indian government to take steps on the issue.

Sidhu said on Tuesday that Sushma Swaraj, whom he met in New Delhi on Saturday, had assured him that the draft regarding a request for the Kartarpur corridor was ready. He claimed that she told him that the letter would be sent to Pakistan soon. However, union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, in a statement in New Delhi, said that there was no substance in what Sidhu was claiming.

While Sidhu claimed that Swaraj gave him an assurance that she will write a letter to the Pakistan government on a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib, just four kilometres from the Indian border, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal made the counter-claim that he was reprimanded by the external affairs minister for meddling in what should be discussed between the two governments.

Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib is situated in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab. The Gurdwara is just four-and-half kilometers from the international border and is visible on a clear day from Dera Baba Nanak in India.

Devotees who are not able to visit Pakistan converge at the international border at Dera Baba Nanak and offer their prayers.

(With inputs from agencies)