I never claimed that Pak had sent any formal communication to India- Sidhu
After Pak's MoFA statement declining any communication with India in Kartarpur Sahab corridor issue, what answer will @RahulGandhi & @sherryontopp give to Sikhs and to Guru Nanak? -Asked Harsimrat Badal
Islamabad, September 19, 2018 :Imran government of Pakistan has confirmed that there was no formal communication with India on Kartarpur Sahib corridor. The clarification came to the surface during the weekly briefing by official spokesperson of Foreign Ministry of Pakistan.
Pak MoFA Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said , "No formal communication with India on Kartarpur corridor. Pakistan remains open and positive."
Which means there was no communication from Pakistan Government and Indian Government as well.
The confirmation from Islamabad comes a day after External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj wrote a letter to Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal saying that there was no official communication for establishing a corridor . At the same time Sushma Swaraj claimed that the Indian government had been taking up the matter but Pakistan did not agree to open Gurdwara Kartarpur Saib for Indian pilgrimage.
Sushma wrote , "The Government has been taking up the matter with Pakistan. However, Pakistan has so far neither agreed to include visits to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib by the Indian pilgrims under the bilateral Protocol on visits to religious shrines of 1974 nor has it sent any official communication for establishing a corridor.”
But today's statement of spokesperson of Pakistan External affairs Ministry refutes the claim of Sushma Swaraj that "The Government has been taking up the matter with Pakistan. However, Pakistan has so far neither agreed to include visits to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib.. "
Navjot Sidhu who has been taking up Kartarpur Sahib Corridor issue forcefully is now under sharp attack by Badals and BJP leaders citing the statement of Pakistan Foreign Ministry that there was no formal communication from Pakistan on this issue. Bibi Harsimrat Badal said that Sidhu had told lie and betrayed the nation.
She tweeted :
The man who can lie in name of Guru Nanak deserves the harshest condemnation! After Pak's MoFA statement declining any communication with India in Kartarpur Sahab corridor issue, what answer will @RahulGandhi & @sherryontopp give to Sikhs and to Guru Nanak? They must answer
He is traitor to the Nation, backstabbed the brave jawans and made the mockery of Sikh religious sentiments. @RahulGandhi needs to answer who is ISI pawn? Him or Sidhu? This has been a soap opera of new lows in cheap politics by @sherryontopp
When confronted Navjot Sidhu said that he had never claimed that Pakistan had sent formal communication to the Indian government . He only referred to his talk with Pak army Chief and the statements of Pakistan Information Minister and others in which they had expressed their intention and consent for opening Kartarpur corridor . He further said that there was no formal communication , that is why had requested Sushma Swaraj to take up the matter with Pakistan formally. If Government India take initiative ,he was hopeful of positive response from Imran Government.