Pakistan on Friday said that the Kartarpur Corridor was open from its side and India was also expected to allow the Sikh pilgrims desiring to join the upcoming birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak from November 17-26.
“We are all set to welcome thousands of devotees from India and around the world coming to Pakistan for the upcoming birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak from 17-26 November for which elaborate arrangements have been put in place,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said in his weekly press briefing.
He said Pakistan also commemorated the second anniversary of the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor-dubbed the ‘Corridor of Hope’ by the UN Secretary-General.
Read more: Is Pakistan going to transfer the management of Kartarpur corridor?
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2019, the Corridor is a shining example of our efforts to promote interfaith harmony and is reflective of the primacy Pakistan accords to religious minorities in the country.
The spokesperson note with growing concern how minorities in India, particularly Muslims, were being systematically persecuted and ostracized under the Hindutva-driven ideology of the BJP-RSS combine.
This month marks 2yrs of opening of #Kartarpur corridor & #BabaGuruNanak birthday but instead of celebration, 1000s of Sikh pilgrims r unable to visit their holy shrine as Modi govt uses lame excuses to keep the corridor shut-sign of tyranny & HRs violation on its Sikh citizens pic.twitter.com/f69myOmIvL
— Mohammad Sarwar (@ChMSarwar) November 9, 2021
Besides closing its eyes to radical mobs, the Indian authorities are also pursuing anti-Muslim citizenship-related policies and actions, including the mischievous NRC scheme aimed at disenfranchising millions of Muslims, he added.
Read more: India faces diplomatic isolation on citizenship law – a taste of its own medicine?
The spokesperson also apprised media of the diplomatic engagements including the meeting of the Troika Plus, the interaction of Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi with Pakistani leadership including the delegation-level talks, and his meeting with the Special Representatives/Envoys under the Troika Plus format.
Pakistan condemns the killing of Kashmiris by Indian forces
He also highlighted the visit of OIC’s Assistant-Secretary-General for Political Affairs & Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Yousef Al-dobeay, accompanied by a high-level delegation including ASG for Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Tarig Bakhit and other senior officials who visited Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from 7-12 November.
The OIC delegation called on the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, Minister of Human Rights, and the Foreign Secretary, besides visiting the LOC, Thotha Refugee Camp, meeting the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and called on the President and Prime Minister of AJK.
Regarding the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the spokespersons condemned the killing of two more Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces on Thursday.
Since 1st October, 21 Kashmiris have been martyred in fake encounters and so-called “cordon and search operations,” he informed.
Two Kashmiri youth killed in a FakeEncounter overnight in Chawalgam area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Friday. https://t.co/fXaPBMAENc
— Lord Nazir Ahmed (@nazir_lord) November 12, 2021
To a question about the frozen assets of Afghanistan, Asim Iftikhar said Pakistan had sensitized all incoming high-level delegations and all our interlocutors in the engagements abroad, including the very intensive outreach by the Foreign Minister.
To another query, the spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan firmly adhered to the One-China Policy.
“The affairs related to Taiwan are China’s internal matter. We oppose any notion of “Taiwan Independence” or “One China, One Taiwan”. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China. The issue of lawful representation of the Chinese people at the UN has been settled 50 years ago, as you know.”
Read more: China to punish people supporting Taiwan’s independence?
Asked about the status of GSP+, he said the current regime would expire in December 2023. The European Commission was reviewing the framework under which the scheme will be renewed beyond January 2024, and that would be relevant to all beneficiary countries.
Courtesy: APP