PESHAWAR: Welcoming opening of Kartarpur Corridor, Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan has said that Islamabad should show same gesture to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to end sense of deprivation among Pakhtuns.

In a statement here on Wednesday, he said that opening of the corridor would not only facilitate cross-border movement of Sikh community, but would also improve bilateral trade and tourism in the region.

He said that one person should not take credit for establishing corridor at Kartarpur.

The ANP leader said that former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif had made efforts for setting up corridor on the eastern border to ease movement of Sikh pilgrims.

He said that opening of the corridor at Kartarpur after seven decades would improve strained relations between the two neighbours.

“Our government should show same gesture to the Pak-Afghan border to facilitate movement of the people living on the two sides of the border who have same culture, tradition, language and religion,” said Mr Khan. He added that Pakhtuns were being used as a fuel in the four decades long war.

He said that soft border and opening of corridors would end sense of derivation among Pakhtuns. He said that ANP supported the policy of soft border and committed opening of 10 corridors to promote peace and improve trade activities in the region.

The ANP leader said that element of mistrust was major irritant in the Pak-Afghan relations. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan could not be improved without confidence building measures, he said, adding that better ties between Islamabad and Kabul were prerequisite for durable peace and economic progress in the region.

He said that Pakistan should improve its relations with neighbours and take steps for promotion of trade, cultural, education and people to people contacts. He said that his party would play role for peace in the region.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2018