NEW DELHI: India on Thursday approved the building of a new border entry point and road connecting the northern state of Punjab to the border with arch rival Pakistan, making it quicker and easier for Sikh pilgrims to visit a holy site.
Muslim-majority Pakistan has also decided to open the corridor on its side of the border and Prime Minister Imran Khan will lay the foundation stone this month, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a Tweet.
Many Sikhs see Pakistan as the place where their religion began: the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469 in a small village near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
“Government of Pakistan will be urged to recognize the sentiments of the Sikh community and to develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory as well,” the Indian government said in a statement.
Pakistan welcomed India’s decision.
“Indian Cabinet endorsement of Pakistan’s proposition on #KartarPurBorderOpening is victory of peace lobby in both countries,” Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Hussain said in a Tweet. “It’s a step toward right direction and we hope such steps will encourage voice of reason and tranquillity on both sides of the border.”
Thousands of Sikhs already visit the shrine in Pakistan every year. But the new road has stoked fears among some security experts that it could be used by Pakistan and foreign-based Sikh separatists to campaign against India.
The corridor indicates a thaw in relations between the two nuclear-armed foes. In September, India called off a meeting between their foreign ministers to protest the killing of Indian security personnel in Kashmir.
Talks have been stalled for years over Kashmir, claimed by both countries and ruled in part by each of them. Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 over the region.
India, Pakistan make progress on “corridor” for Sikh pilgrims
India, Pakistan make progress on “corridor” for Sikh pilgrims
Amid political standoff, Pakistan PM engages KP chief minister on security, development
- Shehbaz Sharif urges counterterrorism, development cooperation with PTI-run province
- Meeting notable amid long strain between federal government and Imran Khan’s party
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday in a rare high-level engagement between the federal government and a province governed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s opposition party, as Islamabad presses for closer cooperation on security and development.
The meeting is notable given Pakistan’s deeply polarized political landscape. Relations between the federal government, led by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and the provincial KP government ruled by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, have remained severely strained since Khan’s removal from office in 2022 and his subsequent imprisonment on multiple convictions, which PTI says are politically motivated.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has faced a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, with attacks by Pakistani Taliban factions straining provincial law enforcement and security institutions. Islamabad has repeatedly called for stronger provincial cooperation as it battles a nationwide resurgence of militancy.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif met KP CM Sohail Afridi in Islamabad, with discussions focusing on law and order, counterterrorism and coordination between federal and provincial authorities.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the need for cooperation between the federal and provincial governments for the development and prosperity of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the PMO statement said.
On security, Sharif described coordination between Islamabad and Peshawar as essential.
“The Prime Minister declared cooperation between the federal and provincial governments indispensable for maintaining law and order in the province,” the statement said, adding that “there is a need to further intensify the provincial government’s efforts to establish peace.”
Sharif also called on the provincial administration to strengthen its own institutions to counter militancy.
“The provincial government should reinforce provincial institutions to combat terrorism,” the statement quoted him as saying, while stressing that both governments would continue “joint efforts for the complete elimination of terrorism.”
The prime minister underlined that maintaining security and delivering welfare were constitutional responsibilities of the provincial government.
“The provincial government is empowered and should take measures for health and education for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the statement said.
Sharif said the federal government remained committed to supporting the province within its constitutional mandate.
“The federal government has always strived for the betterment of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said, describing the province as “an important unit of the federation.”
He added that national development required sustained coordination between Islamabad and the provinces.
“For national development and public service, close relations and effective coordination between the federation and the provinces are indispensable,” the statement said.
The prime minister assured cooperation on development projects, infrastructure, education, health and employment generation “within the federal domain,” reiterating that the government was pursuing a vision of balanced development across all provinces.
The meeting comes as Pakistan’s federal authorities seek to stabilize security conditions and revive economic confidence amid persistent political divisions, with analysts warning that continued friction between Islamabad and opposition-led provinces could complicate counterterrorism efforts and governance in vulnerable regions.
