Bold Steps Needed: How Pakistani Media Covered Kartarpur Event

Most focused on Imran Khan’s ‘impassioned’ calls for peace, while criticising India’s rejection of the SAARC invite.

Amid much fanfare and talk of peace between the two neighbouring countries, Pakistan PM Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for the much-awaited Kartarpur corridor on Wednesday, 28 November. Union Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri also attended as representatives of the Indian government, while Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu was present in his personal capacity.

The corridor is expected to be completed by next year. It will link Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Sikh pilgrims from both the countries.

Pakistan Dailies

The coverage in major dailies in Pakistan – Dawn, The Express Tribune – among others, was largely positive, with many labeling it “historic.” The newspapers were also mostly in praise of Imran Khan, with many proclaiming his speech as “an impassioned pitch for peace.”

Some newspapers, such as Dawn, criticised External Affairs Minister of India, Sushma Swaraj’s comment that “positive developments on Kartarpur doesn’t mean resumption of India-Pak dialogue.”

Here’s a brief look at how Pakistani media covered the Kartarpur corridor ceremony.

‘Bold Steps Needed’ – Dawn

On the front-page, Dawn hailed Imran Khan’s call for peace and “civilised” relationship between India and Pakistan.

On the same page, the newspaper took a dig at Sushma Swaraj:

‘India Harps on Terror as Pak talks Peace’ – Express Tribune

The Express Tribune’s coverage was on the same lines – singing paeans of their Prime Minister while taking a highly critical view of the Indian government, especially Sushma Swaraj’s rejection of Pakistan’s invitation to PM Modi for the SAARC Summit.

‘Hawks in Indian Establishment Continue to Control its Pakistan Policy’

Dawn even had an editorial titled ‘India’s Intransigient Approach,’ where the paper minced no words in criticising New Delhi’s response: “Unhappily, the Indian government rushed to smother the goodwill generated by the inauguration of the corridor, and once again doused hopes that bilateral dialogue may be restarted soon.”

“Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s extraordinary comments yesterday leave no doubt that the hawks in the Indian ruling party and establishment continue to control Indian policy towards Pakistan. What is less clear is what Ms Swaraj is hoping to achieve with her fierce rhetoric against Pakistan. Perhaps the Indian foreign minister wanted to counter the joyous scenes from Narowal district yesterday that would otherwise have dominated the news cycle in both countries.”

Dawn

MEA Reaction

Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday strongly condemned Imran Khan’s reference to Kashmir in his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Kartarpur Corridor, saying it is "deeply regrettable that the Pakistan Prime Minister chose to politicise the pious occasion."

In a statement issued soon after the ceremony concluded in Pakistan, the MEA said:

“It is deeply regrettable that the Pakistan PM chose to politicise the pious occasion meant to realise the long-pending demand of Sikh community to develop the Kartarpur Corridor by making unwarranted reference to J&K which is integral & inalienable part of India.”