 "Charanjit Singh Channi, Kartarpur")
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and some of his Cabinet ministers on Thursday offered prayers at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, travelling there through the visa-free Kartarpur corridor that reopened after a gap of 20 months.
I am very happy to come here. I have received immense love from Punjabis, Pakistanis and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, and I am highly indebted for this, Channi said after reaching the shrine.
He told pilgrims there that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has shown a big heart, and built the "beautiful complex with love and dedication".
"We have received a lot of love and respect from here, the Punjab chief minister said, adding that Baba Guru Nanak belongs to all.
The over four-kilometre long Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district.
On his return, Channi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Imran Khan for reopening the Kartarpur corridor. The corridor had reopened on Wednesday after remaining closed due to COVID-19 outbreak.
He urged both the governments to simplify the procedure for obtaining permission to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
He also announced free bus service from across Punjab till Dera Baba Nanak for facilitating pilgrims having permission to visit Kartarpur Sahib.
The Punjab chief minister led a delegation of 17 members, including three ministers, MLAs and senior officials, to the shrine. In addition, family members of the chief minister accompanied him.
Evacuee Trust Property Board spokesperson Amir Hashmi said in Lahore that besides the group led by Channi, a 21-member delegation of BJP leaders also visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Muhammad Latif, who received the Indian delegation at Kartarpur Sahib, said the Punjab chief minister was "very happy" to visit the shrine and said he would love to visit again.
The delegation was welcomed with drum beats and served lunch at the complex.
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was not part of the Channi-led 'jatha' (group). Sidhu's media advisor Surinder Dalla had on Wednesday said that the Congress leader was officially intimated that he could visit the shrine on November 20 instead of November 18.
Asked about this, Punjab minister Vijay Inder Singla on Thursday said the Centre had given permission to state cabinet ministers and MLAs to visit the shrine in a phased manner.
Some got permission for today, some for tomorrow and others for day after tomorrow, he said.
Addressing the media after returning from Kartarpur Sahib, Channi said it was a matter of great joy as the corridor reopened ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
He also urged the governments of both the countries to open cross border trade through Punjab borders.
The chief minister had earlier described reopening of the Kartarpur corridor as a "historic moment".
The long-pending 'ardaas' of Sikh Sangat has been fulfilled and now they can offer prayers at this holy shrine without any hindrance, he said.
Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma told reporters that he was thankful to the Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for reopening the Kartarpur corridor.
Sharma, sporting a turban, said they prayed for peace, harmony and progress of the northern state.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday claimed that the Centre denied permission to a party delegation to visit Kartarpur Sahib, and dubbed it a "match-fixing between Modi and Channi.
The Centre had decided to reopen the Kartarpur corridor from Wednesday ahead of Gurpurab, which marks the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, on November 19.
The first batch of 28 Indian Sikhs, including women, had visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan on Wednesday by using the corridor on the first day of its reopening.
In November 2019, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had formally inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor as part of the commemoration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak at a colourful ceremony, paving the way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their religion's holiest sites in Pakistan without needing a visa.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
