PNS n Chandigarh
Despite its approval to establish a passage between India and Pakistan to enable Indian pilgrims to pay obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib, Pakistan was on target on Monday during the function to lay the foundation stone for the corridor on this side of the border.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was the first one to warn Pakistan of serious consequences if it did not put a stop to the violence perpetrated against India. He also vowed to protect Punjab and its people from the terror unleashed from across the border “till the last drop of my blood”.
Backing him, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said that the objective of the function is to work for peace. “Peace is the first condition of development...I hope people on the other side are also listening to what CM Singh and I have to say in this regard. The objective of this function is to work for peace,” he said.
“Peace is the requisite for progress,” said the Vice President, asserting that India wants peaceful relations with its neighbours and wanted them to change their mindset to embrace peace.
While all the leaders speaking during the function did not fail to thank Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan along with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for the corridor, Capt Amarinder was scathing in his criticism of Pak Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for promoting state-sponsored terror through brutal killings of Indian soldiers and innocent citizens.
Taking a strong stand on the issue of terror, which was immediately endorsed and backed by the Vice President Naidu, Capt Amarinder said that India was a land of peace and did not want violence, but was prepared to counter Pakistan’s aggression in kind if its peace and sovereignty continued to be threatened.
Lashing out at those who felt he should have accepted Pakistan’s invitation to participate in their ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor, Capt Amarinder asked how he could go there when innocent Indian citizens and soldiers were being killed by them everyday. “I want to go to Kartarpur, and also visit Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib gurdwaras again, but cannot go there as I have to pass Pakistan, which is killing my people every day,” he asserted.
Pointing out that Punjab had seen bloodshed for 20 years, Capt Amarinder said that while his family had close ties with Kartarpur Sahib, he, as the Chief Minister, had a responsibility to the people of his state, which Pakistan was trying to weaken.
Capt Amarinder, lashing out at the Pak army chief, said that as an ex-army man himself, he saw no justification in killing soldiers, which he described as an act of cowardice, not becoming of army personnel.
“Soldiers are taught to protect and serve their nations, not to kill innocent people,” he said while calling for immediate removal of General Bajwa saying that the Pak Army should learn the message of love and brotherhood, propounded by Guru Nanak Dev.
Capt Amarinder recalled the 26/11 Mumbai attacks as a grim reminder of Pak-sponsored terrorism in India. He further pointed out that the Dina Nagar and Pathankot attacks in Gurdaspur district also stood out as major examples of the terror unleashed by Pakistan in this part of Punjab.
Describing terror as madness, Naidu said that he fully endorsed Capt Amarinder’s views and vowed that India will not allow its people to be killed. While India wants peace and promotes friendship, it will not allow terrorism to breed on its soil, he said, urging countries that support terror to shun this path.
The Centre on November 22 had approved the development of the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the international border to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year. The gurdwara is located at the site where Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, died in 1539, and is one of the holiest shrines in Sikhism.
Pakistan has agreed to build a similar corridor in its territory, with Prime Minister Imran Khan scheduled to lay the foundation stone for its construction on November 28. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj cited prior commitments to decline an invitation, and deputed her Cabinet colleagues Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri to attend the event.
Khan has also invited Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for the ceremony, who had stated that he has applied to the Union Ministry of External Affairs for permission to attend the event.
CAPT FOR M-VISA FOR PILGRIMS TO TRAVEL VIA CORRIDOR
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder has called for introduction of m-visa for pilgrims travelling through the corridor to visit the historic Kartarpur Gurdwara in Pakistan.
Capt Amarinder, who suggested that there should be no visa or passport for travel via the corridor, also announced his government’s decision to construct a grand Kartarpur Gate, which he said would stand out as a monumental symbol to commemorate the 550th prakash purb of Guru Nanak Dev — proposal accepted by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari right away.
The Chief Minister urged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to try and ensure that the corridor starts functioning by the next Gurpurab, and announced that he will accompany the first jatha (group) from the corridor to Kartarpur.
Vice President welcomed the Kartar Corridor as a unifier that would promote deeper understanding and a new resolve to connect the people of India and Pakistan.