India keeps Khalistan threat off Kartarpur talks

Issue was consciously kept out of the agenda to focus more on the corridor

- Vijaita Singh Suhasini Haidar

Although Indian security agencies raised concerns about Pakistan using the Kartarpur Corridor to push the Khalistani agenda, India did not raise the issue during the March 14 delegation-level talks on the modalities of the pilgrimage route.

A senior official, who attended the meeting, told The Hindu that the Khalistan threat was deliberately not put on the agenda. "We did not want to give Pakis-tan an opportunity to deviate from discussing the modalities of the corridor, which is a priority for us. Had we brought in other is-sues, they would have trans-gressed, defeating the pur-pose," said the official.

The government's stand comes amid concerns of secessionist groups, including Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a U.S.-Canada-based outfit, planning to organize a convention on `Khalistan-Referendum 2020' at the Kartarpur shrine.