Kartarpur in Pakistan is a holy site for Sikhs. Kartarpur was established by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev in the 16th century and is also the site of the first gurudwara he ever built; Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib. It is also the place where the first guru is thought to have breathed his last. There will now be a #KartarpurCorridor that permits the faithful in India to cross over the border to the gurudwara for pilgrimage. Though the Kartarpur Corridor invited criticism from some quarters, this is, in fact something historic: it is a symbol of hope and optimism and possible peace.
Former cricket player, MP and media personality Navjot Singh Sidhu is largely credited for making the #KartarpurCorridor possible. The idea of a Kartarpur Corridor to permit pilgrims from India to visit the holy shrine has been a dream for 70 years since partition. However, it gained impetus when Sidhu visited Pakistan on the occasion of PM Imran Khan's swearing in. At the time, Sidhu was vilified and excoriated as being antinational for supporting this proposal as well as for publicly reciprocating the hug of Pak army chief General Bajwa.
The ground breaking ceremony for the Kartarpur Corridor on 28th November 2018 is seen as breaking new ground at several levels. It made a physical start for something that will culminate in a 4.7 km road from the India Pak border to the holy shrine in November 2019 on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. It is also groundbreaking in what it represents: a hope for peace between two foes.
Where earlier, politicians of all hues and persuasions had condemned Sidhu for his visit to Pakistan and efforts for the Kartarpur Corridor, now they are falling over themselves to claim credit for the initiative. Sikh devotees have been hopeful for such a road opening up for a long time and have welcomed the move.
To begin with, his party had roundly condemned Sidhu and all who supported the building of the Kartarpur Corridor as creating a way for terrorists to infiltrate easily into India. Now however PM Narendra Modi has not only welcomed the move, he has even likened the move to the fall of the Berlin wall and had two of his ministers attend the ground breaking ceremony in Pakistan.
There was a great deal of bonhomie and bromance on display at the occasion as old cricket foes and now politicians Imran Khan and Sidhu met at the occasion. While warmly complimenting Sidhu’s cricket prowess and poetic turn of phrase, the PM called on both sides to stop the blame game, leave the past behind and look towards a new peaceful future.
Gopal Singh Chawla, seen in a blue turban flanking Sidhu in this picture is thought to be a Khalistan supporter and to have links to Pak terror groups. Many see his presence at the Kartarpur event as problematic and as indicative of the spectre of Khalistan terror once again raising its ugly head.
Most people see Kartarpur as a hopeful and progressive event and believe the presence of Chawla to be incidental; having no bearing on the positive developments at Kartarpur. Many are hopeful that the #KartarpurCorridor marks a thaw in the chilly relationship and the possibility of brokering a new peace between the two nations.
However, a statement by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj seems to indicate that Delhi has not softened its stand on Pakistan. In her statement she made it clear that there was no chance of bilateral talks starting between the two nations. Kartarpur may be the historic culmination of 70 year old hope of the Sikh community and a positive development, but to expect politicians to soften politically expedient stances may be too much to expect.
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