Punjab Newsline, Mohali-
Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India requesting him to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor and immediately allow the Sikh Jatha to visit Sri Nankana Sahib to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Sidhu wrote in the letter that every year, a special group of Sikh pilgrims from India goes to Pakistan in November so that they can celebrate the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, at his birthplace Sri Nankana Sahib. The birth anniversary of the first Guru of the Sikhs holds a special place in the hearts of Sikhs. After 1947, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib went to Pakistan and to honour this deep faith, the Kartarpur Corridor was opened in 2019. However, after the Pahalgam attack, the corridor was closed from the Indian side for five weeks. Now, several months have been passed, and the corridor hasn't opened yet.
Sidhu said that the decision taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs to not allow the Sikh Jatha to travel to Pakistan for Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Gurpurab, citing security concerns after the Pahalgam attack, has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.
The former minister has also questioned that the concern is not merely the denial of permission but the question of why Punjab and Punjabis are made to face such restrictions always. If security concerns between the two nations are the reason, then how was the BCCI permitted to organize an India Pakistan cricket match on 14th September?
Balbir Singh Sidhu has requested the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor at the earliest, respecting the religious and emotional sentiments of the Sikh community, and to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Sri Nankana Sahib to celebrate Parkash Gurpurab.
This step would not only facilitate the Sikh pilgrims in undertaking their religious pilgrimage but also help strengthen the shared cultural ties between India and Pakistan.