india

Updated: Jul 18, 2019 01:56 IST

The US on Tuesday reiterated its support for the Kartarpur Corridor, saying it is supportive of anything that improves and builds people-to-people contacts between India and Pakistan.

“We encourage it. Anything that increases people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan is something that we are incredibly supportive of,” said US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus at a daily briefing in response to a request for comments.

Work is underway to operationalise the corridor in time for the 550th anniversary of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak, in November. The corridor will link Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab to Pakistan’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur. India and Pakistan held a second round of meetings over the corridor at the Wagah Border on Sunday.

It could not be immediately ascertained if the US support for the project will figure in President Donald Trump’s discussions with Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House on Monday.

They are expected to discuss Afghanistan and counterterrorism among other issues in what will be their first meeting.

The US first welcomed the corridor after its inauguration in last November.