Congress Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Tuesday 27 November crossed the Attari-Wagah border on Tuesday, 27 November and attended the opening ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor on 28 November.

Talking at the ceremony, the senior Congress minister said that Kartarpur corridor is a corridor of infinite possibilities of peace and prosperity.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, along with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Harsimrat Kaur Badal had laid the foundation stone for Kartarpur Sahib corridor in Gurdaspur on Monday, 24 November.

Navjot Singh Sidhu leaves for ground-breaking Kartarpur in Pakistan
The decision to build the Kartarpur corridor was taken by the Union Cabinet on 22 November
Pakistan extended an invitation for the ground breaking ceremony on 28 November to Sushma Swaraj, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu
Swaraj responded to the invitation saying she would not be able to attend the ceremony due to “prior commitments”
Kartarpur Corridor Will Bring Peace: Navjot Singh Sidhu

Talking in Lahore at the opening ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor, Sidhu raked his controversial hug with the Pak Army chief and said that it was an act of norm.
“The hug was for hardly a second, it was not a Rafale Deal. When two Punjabis meet they hug each other, its normal practice in Punjab,” Sidhu said.

Navjot Singh Sidhu, Senior Congress Minister in LahoreI feel that this corridor will be a bridge and erase enmity. It will increase people to people contact and bring peace. It is my belief that there are possibilities in it.
“This is a corridor of infinite possibilities, of peace, of prosperity, of opening up of trade relations,” the senior Congress minister said.

Navjot Singh Sidhu Crosses Attari-Wagah Border for Kartarpur Ceremony

Navjot Singh Sidhu waves as he crosses the Attari border to enter Pakistan.
Congress minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Tuesday, 27 November crossed the Attari-Wagah border to enter Pakistan, news agency ANI reported. He is going to attend the ground breaking opening ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor on 28 November.

Sidhu is attending the ceremony on the invitation of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Two Paradoxes Playing Themselves Out: Congress

Congress leader Manish Tiwari, commenting on the Kartarpur corridor said that India needs to be careful while dealing with Pakistan in this matter.

“You have two paradoxes playing themselves out. On one hand, you have this nation remembering those who were killed by the terrorists 10 years ago and you have got a kind of a new beginning with the Kartarpur Sahab Corridor,” he said.

“But we need to be extremely careful and extremely circumspect because with Pakistan it’s not an easy narrative, not an easy journey. Therefore we swing between euphoria and moments of great aggression against each other. We need to find a policy towards Pakistan,” he said.

Real Credit for Kartarpur Corridor Goes to Imran Khan: Sidhu

Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday said that the “real credit” for initiation of the Kartarpur corridor goes to the former cricketer and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“The real credit for the corridor goes to Imran Khan, and also to the people, who prayed for several years for its construction,” Sidhu told News18.

Punjab Minister Objects to Name of Badals on Foundation Stone

A Congress minister objected to the names of former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal engraved on the foundation stone to be laid for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

Punjab’s Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was reviewing the arrangements made for the function at Dera Baba Nanak here when he spotted the names of the Badals on the foundation stone.

A furious Randhawa then enquired about it with the officials concerned.

“I asked them (authorities concerned) about the status of former CM Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal in the government? If they want to write their names, then the name of Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Congress leader and former CM) and others should also be there,” Randhawa said.

He accused the Badals of never visiting the Dera Baba Nanak for “the opening of the corridor” when they were in power. It’s not a function of the BJP or the Akalis, he said.

Amarinder Warns Pak Army Chief Over Attacks

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh launched a scathing attack on Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa over attacks in Pathankot and Amritsar and warned him against disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab and the country.

“I would like to ask Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Bajwa something, as a soldier. Which Army teaches to violate ceasefire and kill jawans on the other side? Which Army teaches to send people to attack Pathankot and Amritsar? This is cowardness,” said Singh.

“I am warning you( Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Bajwa), we are also Punjabis, you will not be allowed to enter here and vitiate the atmosphere,” he added.

Naidu, Amarinder Lay Foundation Stone of Kartarpur Corridor

Captain Amarinder Singh (right) with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu (left) during the ceremony where they laid the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh lay foundation stone for Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

Pakistan Calls India’s Response ‘Positive’

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday, 25 November, welcomed India’s decision to send its two union ministers to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor next week, terming it a “positive response.”

“India has responded well to Pakistan’s initiative in its bid to bring the Sikh community closer,” he told the Associated Press of Pakistan during his visit to the stall of Indian High Commission at the Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association charity bazar.

Pak Invites Indian Ministers to Pakistan for Ground-Breaking Ceremony

Pakistan extended an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

While Swaraj responded to the invitation saying she would not be able to attend the ceremony due to “prior commitments”, she added that Union Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri would be the representatives for the Government of India.

Congress Minister Objects to Badals’ Names on Foundation Stone

A controversy erupted on Monday with a Congress minister objecting to the names of former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal engraved on the foundation stone to be laid for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

“I asked them (authorities) about the status of former CM Parkash Singh Badal and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal in the government. If they want to write their names, then the name of Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Congress leader and former CM) and others should also be there.”
He accused the Badals of never visiting the Dera Baba Nanak for “the opening of the corridor” when they were in power. “It’s not a function of the BJP or the Akalis,” he said.

Kartarpur Corridor Will Facilitate Easy Passage

The Kartarpur Sahib corridor will facilitate easy passage for Sikh pilgrims to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan.

Kartarpur is located in Shakargarh in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, had spent more than 18 years of his life there.

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located three to four km from the border in Pakistan.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor on the Pakistani side on 28 November.

Punjab CM Addresses Gathering at the Ceremony

Courtesy By :- Daily Hunt