Kartarpur India corridor, a potential hope for revival of friendly Indo Pak ties

At a critical juncture, when the relations between Pakistan and India are at its low, worsening day after day, particularly in view of the increasing bludgeonings by the Pak sponsored, aided and abetted terrorists n rangers at the LOC and strife torn Jammu and Kashmir , the recent announcenent by the Pak and Indian government to operationalise the seamless visa free corridor of 4 kilometers between the historic Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab and Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, a protracted demand of the Sikhs in India, has infact opened a new credible hope of revival of friendly relations between the two countries.

The issue of construction of corridor between the Dera Baba Nanak in India n Kartarpur in Pakistan is paramount because it will not only be a great boost for about 12.5 crore Sikhs believing in their God Guru Nanak Dev who passed his 18 long years of his last life span in this historic Gurudwara then in Kartarpur India and now in Pakistan but will also open doors of good frienship bonding between the two warring neighbours who’d been at leggerheads since 1947 after India and Pakistan attained freedom and separate entity as two nations.

There had been lot of controversy on this pivotal issue pertaining to the visit of the Punjab minister in the Congress government and former cricketer Navjyot Singh Sidhu who’d recently visited Pakistan during the swearing in ceremony of his old friend and Pak’s premier Imran Khan embracing the Pakistan Army chief Bajwa for his alleged assurance for opening n operationalising the corridor.

Sidhu had then been accused as anti Indian and a friend of Pakistan. Today, Novjyot Singh Sidhu is claiming the credit for this positive development saying that it is he, who had personally requested to Pakistan PM n his old friend Imran Khan for operationalising the corridor thus opening the new historical chapter in starting friendship with India, which as on date is at loggerheads.

Meanwhile, another controversy has now erupted regarding sticking of several posters in Gurudwara Nanka Sahib in Pakistan by Khalistan Cammando Force propagating the demand for separate Khalistan at the alleged behest of the Khalistani extremists having taken safe refuge in Pakistan.

There are apprehensions that if this corridor will start functioning after few years and the seamless visits of Indian Sikh community will take place uninterruptingly these anti Indian pro Khalistani forces may try to influence youngsters with their anti India n pro Khalistan stance.

Therefore the Pakistani government should first and foremostly take stringent action against these anti Indian Sikh extremists active in Pakistani soil before starting the corridor.

It may be recalled that during the recent grenade attack in the Nirankari Sant congregation (Samagam) in Amritsar which killed three people and grievously injured 20, hands of the Sikh militants who’d unfiltrated into India were found to have been allegedly involved in these bombings and the picture as well as the anti India n pro Khakistan speeches of some Sikh Khalistani leaders praising Pakistan and Hafiz Sayeed were also telecast on the Indian TV channels pledging to allegedly disintegrate India.

However, despite all this the final arrangements for the opening of this corridor has been made by both the governments and the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and the Pakistan’s prime minister lmran Khan are inaugurating this friendship project on 26th and 28th November respectively.

This announcement is welcome particularly in view of the 550th Birthday of Guru Nanak Sahib in the month of November.

While the proposal to operationalise this Ino Pak corridor is a heartily welcome initiative but it remains to be seen as to when will it be credibly opened for the free and seamless flow of visiters from India n Pakistan.

In the meanwhile the government under Imran Khan, his Army and ISI should take all possible initiatives to give up killings of Indian soldiers and civilians going unabated since long at the strife torn J and K n LOC border. The incessant sponsering and abetting of terrorists by Pakistan Army and the ISI at the LOC has made things worse with about 1800 incidents of cross border violations since the last for years.

If Imran Khan and his government is really serious on establishing friendly bilateral talks and relations with India it will have to excercise serious restraint on cross border firings and shall have give up sponsering the cross border terrorism genuinely and with conviction . What’s your take friends?