India and Pakistan held a technical meeting between their officials on the Attari-Wagah Border on May 27 regarding Kartarpur Corridor, reports The Indian Express. While India wants a bridge over the Zero Line and has already begun constructing one on its side, Pakistan is insisting on constructing a causeway, sources said. India is of the view that not building a bridge would lead to flooding of Indian areas during monsoon when the Ravi river overflows. Pakistan has been saying that building a bridge would lead to missing the November deadline when the two countries plan to throw open the corridor connecting Gurudwara Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur with Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. The two Gurudwaras are approximately 8 kilometers (km) apart, with both the countries having decided to construct 4 km each on their side.
In the March 19 meeting, Pakistan had been positive about India’s concerns over flooding. However, in the April 16 meeting, they steered clear of the issue. “On May 27, they said they would make a causeway,” an official said. There are several other issues which the two countries continue to negotiate without much success. While India had sought consular presence at the Kartarpur Gurudwara to help Indian pilgrims, Pakistan has not agreed. India has had no commitment from Pakistan on the issue of pro-Khalistani faces in Pakistan’s committee. In March, the induction of Gopal Singh Chawla in the 10-member committee of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), which is expected to “facilitate” the visit of Indians pilgrims to the Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara, had led to the cancellation of scheduled meeting between India and Pakistan. Chawla had played a key role in raising pro-Khalistan slogans and putting up posters on a Sikh referendum in November 2018, during the visit of Indian pilgrims. India has also been pushing for allowing Overseas Citizens of India to visit Kartarpur which Pakistan has not agreed to.