Reference to Kashmir during a pious occasion regrettable: MEA

New Delhi: India on Wednesday said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s reference to Jammu and Kashmir during the ground breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor was “deeply regrettable” and asserted that he chose to politicise a pious moment.
The Ministry of External Affairs said Jammu and Kashmir was an “integral and inalienable” part of India. “It is deeply regrettable that the Prime Minister of Pakistan chose to politicise the pious occasion meant to realise the long pending demand of the Sikh community to develop a Kartarpur corridor by making unwarranted reference to Jammu and Kashmir which is an integral and inalienable part of India,” the ministry said.
It added that Pakistan must fulfil its international obligations and take effective and credible action to stop providing shelter and all kind of support to cross border militancy from territories under its control.
Khan Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a historic corridor linking two revered gurdwaras on both sides of the border.
“I am saying today, that our political leaders, our army, and all other institutions are all on one page. We wish to move forward, we want a civilised relationship. We have just one problem, Kashmir. If man can walk on the moon, what problems are there that we cannot resolve?” Khan asked while addressing the gathering.
The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims.