Kartarpur process can emerge as another thorn in Indo-Pak ties, says expert

While talking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Observer Research Foundation's Director Research, Prof Harsh Pant said that the Kartarpur corridor which was viewed as a step towards peace might become another thorn in India-Pakistan relationship.

New Delhi: Hours ahead of the inauguration ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor, both India and Pakistan are at loggerheads. A confusion erupted after a tweet was posted by Pakistan PM Imran Khan where he reversed requirement of passport and waiver of $20 service fee from pilgrims on inauguration day and November 12.

After Pakistan army's refusal to let these requirements go away on Wednesday, Islamabad has conveyed to New Delhi that it will charge $20 fee from every pilgrim. And, they also need to carry their passports with them.

Observer Research Foundation's Director Research, Prof Harsh Pant said, "A lot of people viewed this as a process of confidence-building measures between both countries but I think we should be more realistic in assessing it as it can potentially emerge as another thorn in India-Pakistan relationship."

He stressed that Imran Khan's play of portraying himself as a statesman has failed as his own military has rejected his suggestion. He even claimed that the problems in the future are going to be more confounding as the process which requires a great deal of joint coordination is getting affected due to dysfunctionalities prevalent on the Pakistan side.

On Thursday, responding to a media query on the entire confusion, Ministry of External Affairs accused Pakistani side of lack of coordination. They have asked all pilgrims planning to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib to reach with all required documents and $20 service fee as mentioned on the website.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar even slammed Pakistani side of unilaterally amending clauses of the signed MoU without intimidating New Delhi. After much negotiations, India-Pakistan signed the Kartarpur Corridor agreement on October 24 last month.

The corridor will be inaugurated on Friday when both Prime Ministers will give it green flag from their sides of the border. This corridor has been built to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji.