Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday expressed disappointment at India’s decision not to issue visas to Pakistani journalists to cover a meeting to be held in Attari , Punjab, Thursday to discuss details on the construction of the Kartarpur Corridor.
“Regrettable that India has not given visas to Pakistani journalists for the Kartarpur meeting tomorrow. Hope the #PakKartarpurSpirit and meeting tomorrow will bring a change for the better for people of both countries,” Foreign Office spokesman Mohd Faisal tweeted.
People familiar with developments in New Delhi said the meeting is focused on discussing technical matters, and not a public event such as groundbreaking ceremonies for the corridor organised by the two countries last November. They said there was no need for media coverage of such a meeting and the media would be briefed.
In another tweet, Faisal pointed out that the groundbreaking ceremony on the Pakistani side was covered by several Indian journalists. “They also met Prime Minister Imran Khan and were hosted by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for a dinner during their stay,” he added.
Pakistani media reported that in January, Islamabad had shared its draft of the proposed agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor with India and called for negotiations for its finalisation. In February, after a bit of wrangling over the venue for the talks, the two countries agreed on a meeting of officials for finalising the agreement and other modalities.
{{/usCountry}}Pakistani media reported that in January, Islamabad had shared its draft of the proposed agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor with India and called for negotiations for its finalisation. In February, after a bit of wrangling over the venue for the talks, the two countries agreed on a meeting of officials for finalising the agreement and other modalities.
{{/usCountry}}The groundbreaking ceremony in Pakistan on November 28 was attended by Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sindhu.