Pakistani delegation to visit India for religious travel corridor talks

ISLAMABAD, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan said Tuesday that a delegation will visit India next week for talks on the formal opening of a corridor to facilitate Indian Sikh minorities to visit their sacred place in Pakistan.

The announcement came amid heightened tensions between the two countries following a suicide attack last month on security personnel in the Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The Kartarpur corridor, which was opened by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in November last year, will enable Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit their religious site in the Kartarpur area in Pakistan's Punjab province without a visa.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that the acting Indian high commissioner in Islamabad was informed on Tuesday that the Pakistani delegation will visit New Delhi on March 14 to discuss the draft of an agreement for the cross-border movement of the Sikh pilgrims.

The planned visit by the Pakistani side will be followed by a return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on March 28 to hold further discussions on the agreement, the ministry said in a statement.

In January, the ministry said that the Pakistani government has shared the draft agreement with the Indian side through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Enditem