Shyam Sood

Rajouri, November 13

In response to a news published in The Tribune under the heading ‘Shelling-hit demand bunker completion’ on Monday, Rajouri Deputy Commissioner MA Asad on Tuesday organised a review meeting and directed the authorities concerned to complete bunkers in view of the deadline, November 30. The DC chaired the review meeting with Public Works Department (PWD) and the Rural Development Department (RDD) officials.

As per official details, 3,141 bunkers, including 2,806 individual and 335 community, were under construction here in Nowshera and Rajouri divisions. As the PWD (R&B) officials had already delayed the construction of 3,008 bunkers in Nowshera division, 1,892 were handed over to the RDD for early and speedy construction.

Assistant Commissioner Development Sushil Khajuria said out of the 1,892 bunkers, including 1,745 individual, 870 had been completed, 383 were at foundation level, 279 at superstructure level.

Sikh pilgrims visit the shrine of their spiritual leader Guru Nanak Dev, at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan. PTI

Chandigarh, November 13

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday asked the Shirmonai Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to pay out of their own coffers the USD-20 service fee being charged by Pakistan for visiting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib as very few pilgrims have taken the Kartarpur corridor since its inauguration.

Pointing to the “lavish spends” of the SGPC on holding separate programmes to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in Sultanpur Lodhi on Tuesday, Singh said it was evident that the religious body was flush with funds.

Singh said the low number of devotees crossing over to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib was not because of lack of interest but due to two conditions of passport and USD-20 fee put by the neighbouring nation.

In the first three days after a grand opening by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 9, just 897 devotees visited the gurdwara in Pakistan through the Kartarpur corridor, officials said.

Singh said that “cash-rich” SGPC, the apex religious body of Sikhs, should at least bear the service fee of the “yellow card” holders who are below the poverty line and could not afford to pay the amount.

Amid reports of confusion among pilgrims, the chief minister also urged the prime ministers of both India and Pakistan to waive the passport condition for travel through the Kartarpur corridor.

He said other forms of identity proofs like Aadhaar card and driving license should also be accepted.

“These should be acceptable since there was no requirement of visa to be stamped on the passport in any case,” said Singh, who was part of the first ‘jatha’ (delegation) that went to Kartarpur Sahib through the corridor on Saturday.

“Lakhs of pilgrims were waiting to visit the Kartarpur Gurdwara on this historic 550th ‘Prakash Purb’ of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji but were held back because of these problems,” he said in a statement here.

Taking a dig at the SGPC, Singh said that “instead of flaunting their money to appease their ego and make a political point through this religious occasion, they should spend the same on supporting the devotees.”

“Why can’t the SGPC and their political masters, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and particularly the Badal family shell out some money for the actual good of the community,” he said.

Notably, the Punjab government and the SGPC had been at loggerheads over the issue of joint celebrations of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

The SGPC set up a separate stage at a stadium near Gurdwara Ber Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi to hold the main event while the state government set up its own ‘pandal’ to hold the function. — PTI 

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 8

Women of Jammu and Kashmir have shown their craze for being a soldier and guard the borders of the country on the first day of the recruitment rally organised here exclusively for J&K and Ladakh.

More than 1,000 candidates from different part of J&K and Ladakh participated on the first day of the recruitment rally organised at the Jammu Frontier headquarters of the BSF on Friday.

The Union Home Minister had announced 1,356 posts of constable in the Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) exclusively for the youth of J&K and Ladakh.

The special recruitment rally (open rally) was started today for male and female candidates belonging to 22 districts of the UTs of J&K and Ladakh to fill the total 1,356 vacancies (male-1,184 and female-172) of Constable (GD) in the Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the level-3 (Rs 21,700-69,100) in the pay matrix as per the Seventh Central Pay Commission plus usual admissible allowances to Central government employees from time to time.

Hundreds of women candidates from different districts were also seen in the recruitment rally with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm.

“It is a great opportunity for us to be a part of the paramilitary forces and serve our nation. As women of Jammu and Kashmir, we have suffered a lot, but now this is the time to come out and do something for the nation and particularly for J&K,” said a woman candidate from Doda.

“Women can do anything if given a chance and I think more women should be recruited in the Army and paramilitary forces,” she added.

The recruitment process continued till late in the evening. The recruitment rally is open till November 14.

Kartarpur, November 9

The following is the chronology of major events leading up to the opening of the landmark Kartarpur Sahib Corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.

1522: The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was established by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, where he is believed to have died.

February 1999: The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was proposed by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he took a bus ride to Lahore during a peace initiative with Pakistan.

2000: Pakistan agrees to allow Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the shrine visa-free (and without passport) by constructing a bridge from the India side of the border to the shrine.

August 15, 2018: Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu attends Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony in Islamabad.

August 21: Upon his return from Islamabad, Sidhu says that Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa informed him that the Pakistan government would open the Dera Baba Nanak (Kartarpur) corridor on Guru Nanak’s 550^th birth anniversary.

November 22: Indian Cabinet approves the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to the Pakistan border.

November 26: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu lays the foundation stone of the Dera Baba Nanak – Kartarpur Sahib Corridor (up to the International Border) at an event at Mann village of Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

November 28: Prime Minister Imran Khan lays the foundation stone of the 4-km corridor on the Pakistan side.

December 3: Pakistan opens immigration centre at the Kartarpur border.

March 14, 2019: The first meeting between officials of India and Pakistan on Kartarpur Corridor takes place in Attari on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah border.

March 19: India, Pakistan hold technical talks, discuss coordinates.

March 29: India conveys concerns to Pakistan over presence of Khalistani separatist on Kartarpur panel.

April 16: Experts and technicians from Pakistan and India hold technical meeting on Kartarpur corridor at Zero Point (Kartarpur).

May 27: India, Pakistan officials meet, discuss modalities for Kartarpur corridor.

July 8: Pakistan welcomes Indian media to attend 2^nd meeting on Kartarpur corridor.

June 11: Pakistan allocates Rs 100 crore in 2019-20 budget for Kartarpur corridor project.

July 14: Pakistan and India hold second round of the talks on the Kartarpur corridor in Wagah; India gives Pakistan dossier on possible attempts to disrupt Kartarpur Sahib pilgrimage.

August 30: Technical talks between Pakistan and India takes place at Zero Point.

September 4: Third round of talks between officials from Pakistan and India on the Kartarpur corridor takes place at Attari.

October 20: Pakistan to open Kartarpur Corridor on November 9, says Prime Minister Imran Khan.

October 21: India express ‘disappointment’ over Pakistan’s USD 20 fee for Kartarpur Sahib but ready to ink pact.

October 24: India, Pakistan sign agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur Corridor.

October 30: Pakistan issues Rs 50 commemorative coin to mark Guru Nanak’s 550^th anniversary.

November 1: No need for passport for Sikh pilgrims from India visiting Kartarpur, says Pakistan Prime Minister Khan.

November 4: Sikh separatists, including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, feature in Pakistan’s official video on Kartarpur; India conveys its strong objections to Pakistan.

November 5: Sikh pilgrims from India visit Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan, instal golden palanquin.

November 6: India asks Pakistan to clarify if passport will be required for Kartarpur visit amidst confusion over the issue.

November 7: Indian Sikh pilgrims will require passport to visit Kartarpur: Pakistan Army; India to stick to Kartarpur agreement on visits by Indian pilgrims.

November 8: Pakistan will not charge USD 20 as service fee from Indian pilgrims visiting the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara on November 9 and 12, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says, ending confusion over it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the first batch of over 550 Indian pilgrims travelling to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab province through the Kartarpur corridor.

Prime Minister Modi inaugurates the Integrated Check Post where pilgrims will be cleared to travel through the newly-built corridor.

Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurates the Kartarpur Corridor on Pakistani side. PTI

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 1

A day after Jammu and Kashmir split into two Union Territories (UTs), the non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits here today hoped that their long-pending issues would get addressed under the new regime.

“We have been given a step-motherly treatment by the previous regimes – both by elected governments and during the Governor’s rule. The previous governments have only cared about the migrants that left the Kashmir valley (after the start of militancy around 30 years ago) and introduced relief packages for them. Though their issues need to be addressed, our problems are genuine too,” said Chunni Lal Bhat, who is the president of the Hindu Welfare Society Kashmir (HWSK), a body of non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits.

Bhat said they had stayed back in the Valley and faced several problems related to their rehabilitation and employment of the youths of the community.

“We stayed back in difficult times and kept alive the age-old traditions of Kashmiri Pandits. We, too, got internally displaced and face problems regarding our rehabilitation. We were promised suitable rehabilitation, but the promise was never fulfilled. On top of that, our youths are not getting jobs, which is forcing us to leave Kashmir. Now, we hope that the new UT administration addresses our concerns, especially those related to our rehabilitation and employment of our community members,” he said.

Bhat claimed that they had even been disallowed from meeting higher-ups during the Governor’s rule.

“While the previous regimes would at least give us assurances, we were not even given appointment to meet the Governor earlier so that we could apprise him of our concerns. We hope the new regime listens to our woes and addresses these on a priority basis,” he said.

15 Corps GoC meets Lt-Guv

Lt-Gen KJS Dhillon, GOC 15 Corps, met Lt-Governor Girish Chandra Murmu at the Raj Bhawan here on Friday and briefed him about issues relating to the security situation along the LoC and in the Valley. The Lt-Governor stressed on the importance of maintaining a sustained coordination between the security forces and the civil administration to meet the security challenges in J&K.

New Delhi, October 31

India on Thursday hit back at China after it objected to the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories as “unlawful and void”.

In a strongly-worded reaction to Bejing’s criticism, the External Affairs Ministry raised the issue of China’s continued occupation of a “large tract” of area in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Asking China not to comment on India’s internal affairs, the ministry also said the neighbouring country illegally acquired Indian territories from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) under the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963.  

“The matter of reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is entirely an internal affair of India. We do not expect other countries, including China, to comment on the matters which are internal to India, just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries,” the MEA said in a statement.

On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh became separate union territories around three months after the NDA government announced withdrawing J&K’s special status and splitting it into two union territories. 

In Bejing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, “India unilaterally changed its domestic laws and administrative division challenging China’s sovereignty.”

“This is unlawful and void and this is not effective in any way and will not change the fact that the area is under Chinese actual control,” he said.

Rejecting China’s comments, the MEA said the neighbouring country continues to be in occupation of a large tract of area in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

“It has also illegally acquired Indian territories from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) under the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963,” it said.

It said India has consistently conveyed its concerns to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which is in the territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.

Referring to the boundary question, the MEA said India and China have agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually accepted solution to the issue through peaceful consultations on the basis of the political parameters and guiding principles that were agreed in 2005.

“This was reiterated also in the 2nd India-China Informal Summit between Prime Minister and President Xi in Chennai earlier this month. In the interim, the two sides have also agreed to maintain peace and tranquility in the border area,” it said. — PTI