With Pakistan and India making history with groundbreaking Ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor on both sides of international boundary to facilitate the people by giving access to Sikhs of India to Baba Guru Nanak Gurdwara-the founder and spiritual leader of Sikhism. Imran Khan conducted Groundbreaking Ceremony of Kartarpur on 28th November in a huge gathering attended by a delegation from India including Navjot Singh Sidhu.
As an agreement, Pakistan will build a corridor of 4 kilometer up to international boundary and India will build the same from Gurdaspur to international boundary of just 2 kilometers. The Kartarpur Corridor has strategic importance and can go a long way bringing two countries closer to Diplomatic Dialogue since the two countries may turn over a new leaf to build the strong ties and bury the hatchet to spread love and bring peace in the region.
Ever since Indian former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Pakistan on the goodwill gesture and bringing in the Message of Peace and Love from India in the Official Invitation from Imran Khan to participate in his oath-taking ceremony, he was warmly welcomed by all including Army Chief General Qamar Jawed Bajwa. Sidhu appeared very optimistic about the growing friendly ties between the two countries and bringing the message of love and peace for the people of Pakistan.
The Army chief General Qamar Jawed had a big hug with Sidhu and offered to open the Kartarpur corridor for the Sikh devotees to visit their founder Baba Guru Nanak Gurdwara by giving visa-free access in order to honour the Guest of Honour, Navjot Singh Sidhu. The BJP Government at first turned down the proposal and the so-called Indian media criticized Navjot Singh Sidhu of Hugging Army chief as India consider him the murderer of her soldiers. The Veteran Cricketer-turned-Politician Navjot was undeterred and kept pushing Indian Government to accept the proposal of Kartarpur Corridor. At last, the Modi Government accepted the offer and the foundation laying stone ceremony took place on Indian side on 26th November 2018 by the Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu. The distance from the Indian side is 4 kilometers from Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur district to international boundary to connect the same with the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan laid the foundation stone on 28th November 2018 in District Narowal attended by COAS Qamar Jawed Bajwa, Navjot Singh Sidhu and other delegates from India. PM offered visa free access to the Holy site of Durbar Kartarpur Sahib in order to facilitate the Sikh community pilgrims. According to Vice President of India, “The Corridor will become a symbol of love and peace between both countries,” Naidu was quoted as saying in Gurdaspur. The immigration and visa processes were very exhausting and complicated given the tough hostile relations of these neighbours having fought two deadly wars and frequent cold war that impeded the peace efforts and suspended the meaningful dialogue to discuss the grave issues of Terrorism and Kashmir dispute as per the wishes of Kashmiri people through a plebiscite. To display the friendly gesture and using his old cricket fellows of India to bridge the gap and reconnect to Pakistan’s intentions to reinitiate the dialogue process, PM Imran Khan invited Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend his oath-taking ceremony.
Sidhu was given warm reception at the ceremony and the big hug from COAS Qamar Jawed Bajwa was the turning point that melted the ice when he(Bajwa) offered to open the Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims to visit their holy place of Guru Nanak Sahib owing to frequent demand. Sidhu was excited and returned home with the proposal, but his Indian Government rejected the proposal by giving the traditional excuse of cross-border terrorism and afterwards when Sikh community pushed the Government to accept the proposal, they agreed to build a modern Corridor equipped with all modern facilities on the Indian side and urged Pakistan to build the same from their side.
Pakistan Government welcomed the move and announced groundbreaking ceremony on November 28th and invited Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu besides 17 Indian journalists to Kartarpur Corridor.
Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister Punjab Amarinder Singh apologized to come due to some commitments, whereas of few Indian ministers, journalists and Navjot Sidhu were the part of Indian delegation came to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony. They termed the development as historic since it would spread the message of love for both countries.
As per the plan, the Indian government will construct and develop the Kartarpur Corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district to the border, while Pakistan will build the other part of the corridor connecting the border to the Gurdwara in the Kartarpur Sahib area of Narowal district as per the official statement of both countries. The Kartarpur Corridor may open vistas of opportunities between the two countries and they may take the bilateral trade relations to next level if the same corridor is used for trade besides the purpose of Sikh pilgrims.
War would be disastrous for both nuclear capacious neighbours and will bring misery by plunging the countries into an economic crisis that will never be fruitful for these countries and for South Asia as whole.
Pakistan may offer the CPEC partnership if positive and meaningful dialogue process restarts since we have to forward by burying our past differences as quoted by PM Imran Khan during the groundbreaking ceremony regarding the two European powers France and Germany by saying that if these two can engage in an alliance then why not Pakistan and India since animosity and wars cannot stand longer if people start pushing their Governments to maintain peace and live like peaceful neighbours.
— The writer is freelance columnist, based in Sindh.
Source: https://pakobserver.net/strategic-importance-of-kartarpur-corridor/
