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Written by: Press Trust of Kashmir

Created: 26 March 2019

SRINAGAR: Welcoming announcement to open the Sharda Peeth Corridor, former chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed hope that Government of Pakistan (GoP) will also open other routes to facilitate greater people to people contact. Reacting to media reports, the GoP on Monday approved a proposal to establish a corridor that will allow Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Sharda Peeth, vice-president of the National Conference (NC) Omar Abdullah said the government in Pakistan will also announce the reopening of Kargil-Skardu road in Ladakh region.

Abdullah also praised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for opening-up Sharda Peeth that has been held up for years and hoped the dialogue between the two nations would resume soon. The Sharda Peeth corridor, when opened, will be the second religious tract after Kartarpur corridor in PaK that will connect the two neighbouring nations.

Taking to micro blogging site twitter, Abdullah said, “Sharda Peeth is an ancient Hindu temple and cultural site in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It’s good to see @ImranKhanPTI take decisions that have been held up for years. Allowing greater people to people contact & opening routes to religious pilgrims are always welcome developments that help to ease tensions.

“One can only hope that in a post May 23rd (when results of Lok Sabha polls are announced), these steps will be reciprocated by the central government & we can move towards resuming the comprehensive dialogue between India & Pakistan (sic),” Abdullah said in another tweet. About 5,000 year-old Sharda Peeth, is also one of the three famous holy sites for Kashmiri Pandits, the other two being the Martand Sun Temple in Anantnag and the Amarnath temple in south Kashmir Himalayas.