Pakistan’s launch of its part of the Kartarpur project involving a road link for Sikh pilgrims to visit the revered Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan became the centre of its controversy in recent times after India’s External Affairs Ministry expressed that the inception of such a project did by no means guarantee bilateral talks between the nations.
Editorial Staff
Kartarpur Sahib Corridor is a road link which connects to the Sikh pilgrimage, Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. A controversy broke out in India after the cabinet meeting chaired by Narendra Modi approved on 22nd November for a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to Pakistan Border. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and other Akali Dal leaders have entered a credit war with the BJP and congress in regards to the launch of the corridor.
Earlier it was planned that Indian Ministers of the cabinet including the chief minister of Punjab will visit Pakistan to launch the corridor but Amarinder Singh, the chief minister including the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj declined the invite saying that they will not visit Pakistan until and unless Pakistan stops being violent in its approach and conduct with respect to India.
The controversy aggravated further when the congress minister and ex-sportsmen Navjot Singh Sindhu, applauded Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan for opening the corridor on the 155th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the first sikh leader, Sidhu went ahead in his appreciation of Imran saying that India works in order to strengthen its tie with Pakistan. Sidhu’s appreciation of the Pakistani Minister has not been taken in good spirits by members of Akali Dal, as according to them Pakistan is using Sidhu as a soft target to enter India, which they think is not at all right.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is a 16th century Gurdwara on the banks of the river Ravi. It holds importance and relevance in Sikhism and Sikh culture as their first Guru, Guru Nanak Dev had spent 18 years of his life at that place, it was established by the first Sikh Guru himself in the year 1522. Before partition the Gurudwara was a part of the Indian State but after the partition of our country in 1947 between India and Pakistan, the Gurdwara fell in the territory of Pakistan. As we all know that Punjab was one of the provinces to be divided into east and west Punjab, with East Punjab going to Pakistan and West Pakistan staying with India. Partition could make territorial divisions possible but it was unable to divide the culture and traditions of people which is shared and common, Kartarpur sahib continues to hold a significant place in the heart of the Sikh population in India.
The relevance and importance of the corridor was realised by the late BJP leader Atal Bihari Vjaypai, during his bus visit to Lahore, and taking a cue from that a proposal to construct a corridor was passed by the Modi government but some leaders have shown angst against the move as they think that the corridor rather than improving the bilateral ties between India and Pakistan would instead only aggravate the tie because of the violent approach of the neighbouring state towards India.
As of now on Wednesday, the state of Pakistan is set to launch their side of the project to build the corridor and Akali Dal leaders have decided to boycott the launch.
