The assertion came after a media report quoted Punjab Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who is head of the Kartarpur Development Project, as saying that Pakistan had completed more than 70 per cent of work, while India is lagging behind with just about 30 per cent completion.
Ahead of the second meeting to discuss the draft agreement for finalising the modalities of the Kartarpur corridor, Pakistan on Monday welcomed Indian media to attend the meeting at Wagah, and said visas can be applied for the same.
India and Pakistan will hold technical meetings on Kartarpur corridor on from July 11 to 14. The meetings have been proposed by the Indian side to solidify the framework through which arrangements will be made to facilitate the pilgrimage.
Pilgrims would be allowed to visit Kartarpur only under a special permit regime and on charging a fee against India's proposal for visa-free and no-fee travel, Pakistan said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a letter written in response to a congratulatory message by his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, has called for "early operationalisation of the Kartarpur corridor which is functional all the year round", according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
"The construction of the passage will be accomplished by September 30, well in time before the 550th Parkash Purb (birth anniversary) celebrations of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev," said Singla in an official release.
In a major initiative last November, both India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur corridor to link the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib -- the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev -- to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur.
The technical experts and foreign office officials from both sides participated in the talks held at Zero Point (Kartarpur), according to Geo News. They reportedly discussed installation of a border fence and road design.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India had sought clarification from Pakistan on certain issues but to no avail.
An Indian delegation will visit Pakistan to take the discussions further at a meeting on April 2 on the Pakistani side of the Attari border.
The sources said that while Pakistan assured visa-free access to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, it is asking for the requirement of issue of a special permit to each pilgrim. Defeating the purpose of the dedicated corridor.
Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, officials of both the countries will meet today to finalise modalities of the corridor to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, with India keen for visa-free access to the pilgrims to the historic shrine across the border.
Asked if the time was right to hold the dialogue amid the ongoing tensions in bilateral ties, MEA said that one should understand the purpose and objective of the Kartarpur talks and it was not in anyway a resumption of bilateral dialogue.
India is scheduled to discuss modalities of the operationalisation of Kartarpur Corridor with Pakistan on March 14, the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) said on Wednesday.
Bisaria said India had consented to the basic points about the Kartarpur corridor except for its zero-point (crossing point).
The Union Cabinet in November last year decided to develop the Kartarpur Corridor from Gurdaspur in Punjab to the International Border to facilitate pilgrims' passage to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan as part of the 550th birth year celebrations of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, later this year.
The recommendations call for Indian pilgrims to be given free entry and that facilitation centres and security check-posts to be set up on both sides of the border.
Pakistan on Thursday described the Kartarpur corridor as the "high point of diplomacy" for the Imran Khan government while admitted that there was "no progress" on the contentious issues with India.
Pakistan opened the Kartarpur border in November to facilitate visa free pilgrimage by Indian Sikhs to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Narowal district, where Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.
"The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is clearly a game plan of the ISI," CM Amarinder Singh said, adding a bigger conspiracy seems to have been hatched by Pakistan Army against India.
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