DESPARDES (Updated) — Posters of PM Imran Khan and former Indian Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu were put up in Amritsar to thank the two on the occasion of Kartarpur Corridor opening.
According to ANI news agency, the posters read, “Navjot Singh Sidhu and Imran Khan are the real heroes for opening Kartarpur Corridor.”
“We wanted to congratulate the people who made it happen, Sidhu sahab aur Imran Khan. More posters are to be put tomorrow,” said Master Harpal Singh, a Councilor from Verka.
Sikh community all over the world looks forward to visiting the holy shrine in Pakistan associated with their spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak.
Sidhu, who is a former Indian cricketer and Congress leader has accepted PM Khan’s invitation to attend the opening ceremony of the Corridor on November 9.
Also, former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri and Harsimrat Kaur Badal are among the pilgrims who will attend the inaugural ‘jatha’ to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib.
According to reports, over 2,000 Sikh pilgrims from India have already arrived at the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Kartarpur, to mark the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikhism founder ahead of the opening of the landmark Corridor.
The move comes amid chill in relations with Delhi over Indian-administered Kashmir’s annexation by PM Modi’s government on August 5.
The religious tourism prioritized by the government serves as a bridge between the two nuclear-armed neighbors who have fought more than 3 wars on Kashmir dispute.
That took many into surprise who expected some level of sabre-rattling post Modi 370, instead of restraint.
The move is enduring as it’s planked on peace and diversity in the region, said one observer.
‘It’s one of the rarest master stroke,” a Pakistani defense official said about the move (on condition of anonymity as he’s not authorized to officially comment).
