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‘Thank you but…’: Punjab’s Amarinder Singh responds to Imran Khan gesture
Responding to Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s move of waiving off two requirements for Sikhs travelling to Darbar Sahib gurdwara at Kartarpur, Punjab’s CM Amarinder Singh made a larger request.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for two concessions extended to Kartarpur pilgrims but asked that Islamabad offer the relaxation to all citizens of secular India and not just Sikhs.
In a surprise move earlier in the day, Imran Khan had waived off two requirements for Sikhs travelling to Darbar Sahib gurdwara at Pakistan’s Kartarpur to join celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion.
Khan tweeted that Sikhs would not require a passport but could take the corridor to Kartarpur with a valid ID document. He also exempted them from having to register 10 days in advance to make the pilgrimage.
On two days - the day of the inauguration of the corridor and the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak - they would not have to pay the $ 20 fee that Islamabad has insisted on retaining during negotiations with Indian officials.
Amarinder Singh thanked Imran Khan for the gesture.
The chief minister said he was happy and grateful for the waiver of two conditions but asked that Pakistan “apply this not just to Sikhs but all citizens of secular India”.
“Also urge Pak PM to waive off $20 fee on all days instead of just two,” Capt Singh said in a tweet.
India had protested the US $ 20 service fee that Pakistan had decided to impose on each pilgrim and later called it a “matter of disappointment” that Islamabad hadn’t heeded the request.
The Kartarpur corridor connects the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just 4 kilometres from the International Border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
