ISLAMABAD – Indian officials launched yet another failed campaign againstPakistan over Kartarpur Corridor project.
Indian officials raise false alarms before allowing Kartarpur pilgrims toexit the country. “The border control officer warned that once Pakistaniauthorities stamp the passport you will not be allowed to travel anywherein the world,” said one pilgrim. “Pakistani authorities only check thepassport. They do not stamp the travel document,” the irked pilgrim added,Tribune has reported.
Known as the Gurdwara of Darbar Sahib, the Sikh temple is located where thefounder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, lived and died at the start of the 16thcentury.
In what was dubbed as a historic step toward peace, the government inPakistan opened its doors to allow Indian Sikhs to travel freely to visitthe holy site last November.
Welcomed enthusiastically by the Sikh community, the move represented arare instance of co-operation between the two nuclear rivals, known to havefought three wars against each other since independence in 1947.
In addition to the rumours that seem to be circulated by the Indianofficials, they are also charging exuberant amounts from pilgrims fromfar-flung areas.
Two Sikh women from Jalandhar, Satwant Kaur, and Bhupendra concurred theIndian authorities were creating unnecessary hurdles. “We were made to waitfor several hours for one reason or the other,” they said.
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One pilgrim said they are accused of being radicalised in Pakistan duringthe brief stay in the country. Similar remarks landed a senior policeofficer from Punjab in hot water. DGP Dinkar Gupta has been facing the ireof the opposition parties for his purported statement on the KartarpurCorridor.
“Kartarpur offers a potential that you send somebody in the morning as anordinary chap and by the evening he comes back like a trained terrorist,”said Gupta. His statement has angered the Sikh community in India.
Sikhs in Pakistan have also been gunning for Gupta. Sardar Sitwant Singh,the Pardhan of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee condemnedGupta’s statement.
“No one can stop the pilgrim from visiting this holy site,” he said in astatement. “No matter what the Indian government and agencies have to sayabout the pilgrims, they cannot stop the community,” Singh added.
Relations between the two countries remain strained since Indian jetsintruded Pakistan’s airspace, and in response, they were shot down by thePakistan Airforce, but Islamabad has ensured that Sikh pilgrims are treatedwith dignity during their short stay.