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Kartarpur Corridor reopening: Punjab CM visits Darbar Sahib in Pak, seeks on-arrival permission for pilgrims
Charanjit Singh Channi and a few cabinet colleagues, including Manpreet Singh Badal and Vijay Inder Singla, left for historic Sikh shrine on eve of Guru Nanak birth anniversary; more ministers to go over the next few days
On the eve of 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his cabinet colleagues, with family, visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur in Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor on Thursday. The 4.7km visa-free stretch was reopened for Indian pilgrims on Wednesday.
The Channi-led delegation comprised 30-odd members, including officers of the Punjab government and family. The ministers who accompanied the CM were Manpreet Singh Badal, Vijay Inder Singla and Rana Gurjit Singh and two MLAs — Harpartap Singh (Ajnala) and Barinderjit Singh Pahra (Gurdaspur). The CM has sought that the process of getting permission for pilgrims desirous to visit the last resting place of the Sikhism’s founder be simplified. “A procedure of on-arrival permission should be followed,” he said.
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Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit chief executive officer Muhammad Latif, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee office-bearers and Gujranwala commissioner greeted the Indian guests who arrived at the gurdwara. Latif said 100 Indian pilgrims visited the historic gurdwara on Thursday.
Describing the reopening the corridor as a historic moment, Channi said: “It’s a joyous occasion. The long-pending ‘ardaas (prayer)’ of the Sikh ‘sangat (community)’ has been fulfilled.” The CM added he was fortunate enough to be part of the sangat paying homage since the demand of the ‘Khule Darshan-Didar’ of Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, was fulfilled after seven decades. “Our Gurus showed the path of humility, unity, peace and welfare. The corridor will play a pivotal role in ensuring this,” he added.
On returning, he said, “It is the need of the hour that both the national governments of India and Pakistan should make concerted efforts for simplifying the process to enable pilgrims for obtaining permission to pay reverence at this holy shrine.”
Channi announced that the state government will soon start free buses from across the state to enable pilgrims to pay obeisance at the revered gurdwara. He said these buses will ply till the corridor for facilitating pilgrims, having permission to visit Sri Kartarpur Sahib.
Batting for the opening of cross-border trade through Punjab’s borders, the CM added that India and Pakistan should deliberate on this. “Besides giving an impetus to economic activity, it will help in improving people-to-people contact between both the countries,” he added.
‘THANK MODI, KHAN’
Channi also thanked the people of Pakistan and the administration for showering love and affection on him and his family during the visit. He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan for reopening the corridor.
Singla said, “The Union government has not given permission to all ministers at once. Some ministers will get permission over the next few days. Some of them will be going on Friday.” Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was not part of the Channi-led ‘jatha’ (group) which went to pay obeisance at the gurdwara. Sidhu’s media adviser Surinder Dalla on Wednesday night had said that the PCC chief would go on November 20.
Since reopening of the corridor, there is festival-like atmosphere in the border town of Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district that was linked with the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019.
