The Akali Dal and AAP on Thursday hailed the Centre’s move to build and develop the Kartarpur corridor to provide easy passage to Sikh pilgrims visiting a historic gurudwara in Pakistan.
Welcoming the Centre’s initiative, SAD patron and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said, “This is indeed a befitting tribute to the great Guru Nanak Dev ji’s cosmic vision transcending all kinds of barriers among human beings of different castes, creeds and countries. India Thursday also urged the Pakistan government to build a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib to facilitate easy movement of Indian pilgrims to the shrine.
Akali Dal patriarch said the NDA government’s formal request to Pakistan should decisively remove all hurdles in the path of fulfilling the long-cherished dream of every Sikh to pay obeisance at the historic ‘Gurudham’.
Badal thanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for honouring the sentiments and wishes of the Sikh masses all over the world.
“This is their historic and unprecedented tribute to the Sikh sentiments contained in our daily ‘Ardas’ (prayer), seeking unrestricted ‘Darshan Deedar and Seva Sambhal’ (paying obeisance) of all historic shrines from which the Sikh community was weaned away following the partition in 1947, said Badal.
He also appealed to the Pakistan government to reciprocate the Indian government’s great initiative and respect the sentiments of the Sikh ‘Sangat’ all across the world in this regard.
Former CM also recalled his Pakistan visit in 1999, when he accompanied the late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had acceded to SAD-BJP government’s request to start the process of fulfilling the daily Sikh prayers at the historic shrines all over the world.
The late Prime Minister had taken up the issue with his counterpart in Pakistan then but there had been no response from across the border so far, he said.
“I hope that the Pakistan government fully respects and joins in the atmosphere of devotion and religious fervour in this year of the 550th Parkash Utsav of the great Guru and opens the border for unrestricted and hassle free pilgrimage to the historic shrine at Kartarpur Sahib, he said.
Badal also thanked the Centre for deciding to run a special train which will pass through all holy places linked with Guru Nanak Dev, and to release commemorative coins and postage stamps on the sacred occasion of ‘Parkash Utsav’.
Hailing the Union government’s move, opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said it has fulfilled the wish of Sikh ‘sangat’ (community) residing around the globe.
In a joint statement, the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Harpal Singh Cheema and chief spokesperson MLA Baljinder Kaur, also appealed to the Centre to simplify visa requirements to visit other religious places in Pakistan as well.
The leaders also demanded to set up an office of External Affairs ministry at Amritsar to assist the pilgrims visiting the religious places exclusively.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa also welcomed the union cabinet’s decision to develop the Kartarpur corridor.