NEW DELHI, India: The Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has ruled out resumption of bilateral dialogue with Pakistan, crushing emerging hopes of normalizing Pak-India relations through talks in near future.
In a statement in New Delhi, Sushma Swaraj remarked that bilateral dialogue and Kartarpur Corridor are two different matters, and categorically said that there will be no dialogue with Pakistan.
The Indian external affairs minister said that the corridor doesn’t mean that bilateral relations will start.
“We have been demanding to open Kartarpur Corridor for 20 years. For the first time a Pakistani government responded positively,” Sushma Swaraj was quoted as saying by media.
It is worth mentioning that the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi invited her Indian Counterpart Sushma Swaraj to attend the groundbreaking of Kartarpur Corridor being performed today in Kartarpur area of Narowal District.
However she excused herself to attend the groundbreaking citing busy schedule as the reason, and named two ministers in New Delhi as Indian representatives in the groundbreaking ceremony.
But today she said that the Indian ministers are attending the groundbreaking of Kartarpur Corridor in their personnel capacity, not as Indian officials.
I thank HE Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Foreign Minister of Pakistan for inviting me to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor on the Pakistan side of the International boundary on 28 November 2018. /1
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 24, 2018
Since I am unable to travel to Kartarpur Sahib on the scheduled date, Government of India will be represented by my esteemed colleagues Mrs.Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Mr.H.S.Puri. /2
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 24, 2018
We hope that the Government of Pakistan will expedite construction of the corridor in order to ensure that our citizens can pay their respects at the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor as soon as possible. /3
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 24, 2018
