BONHOMIE Praises Pak PM Imran Khan, saying history will remember him for giving a precious gift to the Sikh community
Both the govts should realise that we have to move forward. I believe that it can go further till Peshawar, till Afghanistan. NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU , Punjab local bodies minister
CHANDIGARH: The corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab to Kartarpur in Pakistan holds a promise to bring the two neighbours closer, said Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday.
AP■ MAN OF THE MOMENT: Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu addressing the gathering in Kartarpur, Pakistan, on Wednesday.He said this at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pakistan leg of the corridor.
Among those present on the occasion were Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, his senior ministers, Union ministers from India Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Puri and scores of Sikh pilgrims from both the countries.
Introduced by the anchor as ‘Sixer Sidhu’ whose friendship outclassed hate, the Congress politician was seen speaking animatedly with the Pakistan prime minister seated in the front row with other dignitaries.
And when he spoke, the loudest and the most frequent applause was for him.
In his speech filled with poetry and religious couplets, Sidhu showered praise on Khan saying history will remember him for bridging the gap between the two neighbours and for ending the 70-year wait of the Sikhs of India.
“Bloodshed must end, pain must end, peace must return… We have paid a big price, someone has to douse this fire. This corridor is full of promise, it will bring the two countries close,” he said.
In an emotional speech, Sidhu said his parents used to see Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, which is just 4 km from the Gurdaspur border, from a distance and return with tears in their eyes as they could go no further . “My friend Imran Khan has wiped the tears of lakhs of Sikhs,” he added.
Sidhu said: “Indian Constitution calls for no discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and creed and this is the same thing Baba Nanak had said 550 years back. If the world has to be changed, the vision needs to be changed, thought has to be changed. No book in the history forbids people of any faith to pay obeisance at a religious place significant to their belief.”
Talking of his dream of a better connected world, he said: “It takes two to tango, both the governments should realise that we have to move forward. My father used to tell me that Punjab Mail went till Lahore. I believe that it can go further till Peshawar, till Afghanistan, till Moscow. Your vegetable, rice, can go up to Brussels. It is my dream and I assure that till I have blood in my veins I will be greatly thankful to both the governments.”
AFP■ FEASTING TIME: Sikh devotees partaking of langar on the premises of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, after the groundbreaking ceremony for the corridor to the shrine on Wednesday.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and other dignitaries look on during a presentation as part of the groundbreaking ceremony at Kartarpur; (right) devotee pay obeisance at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.