Pakistan rejects baseless Indian propaganda against Kartarpur Corridor: FO

(Karachi) Pakistan has rejected the baseless and fallacious propaganda by the Indian Government against the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, which has been rejected by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) itself, a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Thursday.

The FO said that the malicious propaganda by the Indian Government is simply an attempt to malign the “Peace Corridor” initiative by casting mischievous aspersions against the interests of the Sikh community and to detract attention from India’s own reprehensible human rights violations of minorities in India.

"The PSGPC remains responsible for carrying out rituals in Gurdwara Sahiban, including Kartarpur as per Sikh Rehat Maryada."

It stated that the Project Management Unit (PMU) under the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has simply been created to facilitate the PSGPC in this regard.

"Any insinuations regarding “transferring” the affairs of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur from the PSGPC to the PMU are not only contrary to the facts but also aimed at creating religious disharmony by the Hindutva-driven BJP government in India," the statement maintained.

The Sikh community from all over the world remains greatly appreciative of the efforts made by Pakistan to complete the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Project in record time and for the excellent arrangements made to facilitate the pilgrims, the foreign office said.

The FO asked India to take steps to protect its minorities and their places of worship, rather than feigning misleading and sham concerns for the rights of minorities elsewhere.

The statement by FO comes in wake of Indian allegations that Pakistan has transferred the management of the Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara from a Sikh body to a separate trust, saying it runs against the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.

Indian government claimed that it received representations from the Sikh community expressing grave concern over the decision to transfer the management and maintenance of the gurudwara from the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee to the administrative control of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, a non-Sikh body.