NEW DELHI, 3 December 2020, (TON): India has raised a new issue against Pakistan accusing Pakistan of violating the spirit of violating the spirit of a UN resolution it had itself sponsored by transferring the control of the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara to a non-Sikh body.

In a statement, Ashish Sharma, a First Secretary in India's UN Mission, said on Wednesday, "This act goes against Sikh religion and its preservation and protection." He said that last month, Islamabad took away the control of the sacred shrine from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee and handed it to the Evacuee Trust Property Board, a statutory government body set up to manage the land and temples of the Sikhs and Hindus who had fled to India during the partition.

Last year, Pakistan had sponsored the resolution, "Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace", which called the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor connecting the sacred shrine in Pakistan with the Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India to facilitate pilgrimages "a landmark initiative for interreligious and intercultural cooperation for peace".

Pakistan, along with the Philippines, introduced a similar resolution this year which said that the General Assembly "welcomes the initiative to open up the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in the spirit of interfaith harmony and peaceful neighbourhood, and appreciates the agreement between the governments of India and Pakistan to allow visa-free access to pilgrims of all faiths, especially Nanak Naam Levas and the Sikh community from across the world, as a landmark initiative for interreligious and intercultural cooperation for peace". The Resolution  was passed by with 90 votes and 52 abstentions with no votes against it.

The Holy See is also very pleased to see the resolution mention the “initiative to open up the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in the spirit of interfaith harmony and peaceful neighbourhood” and the agreement between the Governments of India and Pakistan to allow visa free access to pilgrims of all faiths.  He commended the delegations of India and Pakistan for reaching consensus on this paragraph.