Guru Nanak birth anniv: Prez, PM accept Capt invite for celebrations

Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have accepted his invite to attend the 550th birth

Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have accepted his invite to attend the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak in November.

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The CM invited the President and the PM to attend the Parkash Purb celebrations, including the historic opening of the Kartarpur Corridor. In separate meetings with the President and the PM in New Delhi, the CM urged them to join the mega events to mark the historic occasion. The CM later told the media that both accepted his invitation to be a part of the historic celebrations and modalities for their visit would be finalised after the Kartarpur corridor opening programme is frozen with Pakistan.

An official spokesperson said the detailed official programme of events has been shared with the President and the PM. The main function to commemorate the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak will be held at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district on November 12.

During his meeting with the PM, Amarinder also urged his personal intervention to facilitate political clearance for allowing a special all-party ‘jatha’ to visit Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the first Guru, on the historic occasion.

He requested that a group of 21 persons may be allowed to visit Nankana Sahib to organise a “path” from October 30 to November 3, and lead a “nagar kirtan” to Sultanpur Lodhi via Amritsar (Wagah) later in the day. The “nagar kirtan” will arrive at Sultanpur Lodhi on November 4.

The CM has also written a demi-official letter to minister of external affairs S Jaishankar seeking formal clearance for the Nankana Sahib delegation visit and the “nagar kirtan” to be brought from Pakistan to Punjab, according to an official spokesperson.

Giving details of the key events planned by the state government — from November 5 to 15 — the CM said the flagging off ceremony will be preceded by a brief public meeting of devotees at Dera Baba Nanak. In line with past practice, the Punjab government proposes to organise an all-party meeting from 11am to 2pm on November 1 at Sultanpur Lodhi, he added.

NOT GOING TO PAK FOR CORRIDOR OPENING, WILL ONLY VISIT GURDWARA: CM

The CM on Thursday ruled out a visit to Pakistan for the Kartarpur corridor opening, making it clear that he would be only leading the first all-party ‘jatha’ (religious group) to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to pay obeisance.

“There is no question of me going to Pakistan for Kartarpur corridor opening, and I feel Dr Manmohan Singh will not go as well,” he said, pointing out that there was a huge difference between visiting Pakistan and going to the gurdwara through the corridor.

As far as visiting Pakistan is concerned, the CM said he would not go there till the neighbouring country stops cross-border terrorism. He said Punjab was the worst sufferer of Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism and he cannot think of going there till it stops.

Asked if Pakistan was playing a dirty game over the Kartarpur corridor, the CM told mediapersons to put this question to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. India, on its part, was fully geared to ensure the security and safety of the pilgrims, he added.

Saying that the Punjab government was fully prepared to counter the resurgence of terror threat from Pakistan, the CM advised against linking this issue with the religious occasion of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak.

The two could not be connected, he told mediapersons in response to questions during an informal chat in New Delhi.

Asked about the tensions at the border, in the light of the recent recovery of two drones reportedly smuggling arms from Pakistan into Punjab, the CM said it had nothing to do with the Kartarpur corridor opening to mark the 550th Prakash Purb.

The state government was dealing with the matter and was fully geared to maintain law and order in Punjab at any cost, he said, adding “we will not allow anyone to disturb the state’s peace and harmony.”

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MANMOHAN TO BE PART OF FIRST JATHA TO KARTARPUR SAHIB

Chandigarh: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur as part of the first all-party jatha of pilgrims on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next month.

The announcement came after chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh met Manmohan in New Delhi and made a request to him to join the first batch visiting the shrine on the special occasion.

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, situated in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, is the among the holiest Sikh shrines as it is built at the place where Sikhism founder Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life before passing away in 1539.

The Pakistan government too had extended an invitation to Manmohan to join the celebrations at Kartarpur.