Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kartarpur Corridor in Kartarp... Read More

KARTARPUR SAHIB: PM Imran Khan on Wednesday said the Pakistan army, along with all political parties, was on the "same page" on the Indo-Pakistan peace outreach even as he flagged Kashmir as a dispute that needed to be resolved.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Kartarpur corridor that seeks to allow Indian pilgrims swifter access to the Sikh shrine that marks the final resting place of Guru Nanak, Khan iterated Pakistan would respond with two steps to every single step which India took for peace. His comments came minutes after he had met army chief Qamar Bajwa at the gurdwara here.

Khan touched on the Kashmir dispute, saying there was no reason for the neighbours to not resolve it. "We can't go to war as we will all lose. What's the next best option? We have to engage," he said.

Khan pitched for a "civilised relationship" with India.

"If Germany and France can live together, why can't us? I keep hearing from Indians that Pakistan army doesn't want good relations with India. I want to say that the army is on the same page as the government and all political parties in seeking better ties. We want to move forward and have a civilised relationship. I hope we don't have to wait for (Navjot Singh) Sidhu to become PM to have good relations with India," Khan said.

Khan reciprocated Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu's praise of him, complimenting the Congress leader for talking about friendship between India and Pakistan. Khan said Sidhu's initiative was even more commendable as the neighbours are nuclear-armed countries.

Khan's assertion that the Pakistan army — seen as the last word on relations with India — being on board the peace initiative seemed intended to counter India's scepticism over durability of engagement. The Kashmir remark could serve to address domestic opinion and the reference to the unwinnability of nuclear war underlined the view here that Pakistan's strategic weapons nullify India's superiority in conventional weapons.

Food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur, who spoke before Khan, sought to build upon PM Narendra Modi's "Berlin Wall" remark earlier this week as she said that if the infamous barrier could collapse, the corridor could also lead the two countries into breaking "the wall of hatred".

"Yeh peace corridor hamare rishton ki karwahat ko dur karega," said Kaur, holding back tears. Before that she participated in the ground-breaking ceremony on the Gurudwara premises and performed "kar seva" along with MoS for urban development Hardeep Puri and Navjot Sidhu.

Khan said strong leadership and determination was required to move ahead in ties. "We lack the strength to say we will improve ties no matter what," he said, in remarks that appeared aimed at PM Narendra Modi and India's wariness in responding to the new government's push for renewed engagement.

Khan said the best of facilities will be provided to Sikh pilgrims at Kartarpur Sahib by the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year. "I am happy to see the joy on Sikh faces. If I were to explain to my Muslim brothers and sisters...imagine that you are standing 4-km outside Medina (a holy city in Saudi Arabia where the tomb of Prophet Mohammed is located) and cannot go in, and you are then given the chance to go. That is the happiness I see here."

