BJP leaders meet PM Modi over reopening of Kartarpur Corridor

Cheema said that the issue of Kartarpur Corridor’s reopening was of reverence not only to the Sikh community but to all those who follow Guru Nanak Dev’s teaching

A delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday to seek his intervention for the reopening of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Sikh pilgrims on December 19, which is the Prakash Utsav of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism and their first guru.

Cheema said the community also expresses gratitude to the PM for setting up a special investigation team to probe into the 1984 Sikh massacre (HT Photo)

TThe 11-member delegation which was led by party Vice President, Saudan Singh pushed for the reopening of the corridor that was inaugurated by the PMs of both India and Pakistan in 2019 but has been closed down since March 2020 following the outbreak of the Covid Pandemic.

The corridor allows pilgrims visa-free access to the final resting place of Guru Nanak, which is just four kilometers from the international border. The construction of the corridor has been touted by the BJP as one of the many accomplishments of the Modi Government, and recently came up for mention in the national executive committee meeting of the BJP.

Bikramjit Singh Cheema, who was part of the delegation, said the Sikh community feels that Kartarpur corridor should now be reopened with precautions. He said that the issue is of reverence not only to the Sikh community but to all those who follow the Guru’s teaching.

He said the community also expresses gratitude to the PM for setting up a special investigation team to probe into the 1984 Sikh massacre. He said while the Congress had gone on to depute some of those accused of being involved in the riots as ministers, it was PM Modi who took the lead by setting up the SIT.

The delegation also thanked the PM for helping in the evacuation of the Granth Sahib from Afghanistan after the Taliban take over. Rajinder Mohan Singh Chinna said the delegation thanked the PM for helping rescue the Afghan Sikhs and for their safe passage to India.