Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the Kartarpur corridor is anchored in goodwill, but improving India-Pakistan ties will need more efforts.
Amritsar/Chandigarh: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said the Kartarpur corridor, which was inaugurated in Pakistan, was anchored in hope and goodwill but there is a need to be conscious of ground realities.
“It is a historic day. Speaking on my own behalf, I regard myself as particularly privileged and blessed to be able to make this pilgrimage. Paying obeisance at the Gurdwara Sahib holds special significance in the life of every Sikh. Not only did the Guru Nanak spent 18 years of his life there, it is his resting place also,” said Puri, who along with Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, represented the Indian government at the ceremony.
The first gurudwara, Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, is where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died. It is located in Pakistan, across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522.
The Kartarpur Corridor aims to facilitate visa-free travel for Indian Sikh pilgrims wishing to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. The project is expected to be completed within six months.
Puri, a former diplomat and the Union minister of state (independent charge) of housing and urban affairs, thanked the Pakistan government for deciding to build the corridor on its side, and added that it meets the long pending demand of the Sikh community.
“This decision is anchored in hope and goodwill, but we have to be acutely conscious of the ground realities. The ground realities are that the two countries, on account of a lot of factors and I don’t want to enter into any political discussion here, because of several factors there is distrust, we have felt for very long that we have been at the receiving end of actions of a country, of a state, which should not have allowed certain forces on their territory. But I don’t want to touch upon those”.
Asked if the decision to develop the Kartarpur corridor would mean breaking of ice between the two nations, he said, “You have to be aware of the ground realities. You have to be aware of mistrust which exists. But as the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) said, now whether we are able to transform this into something meaningful in terms of people-to-people contact and breaking of the ice and taking it further, that is something we will have to work on.”
Expressing hope, he said, “Let us take one step at a time, I don’t want to jump the gun. I think we must allow the goodwill, that is the essence of teachings of the guru. I think he was half a century ahead of his time. The kind of teachings he has given, if those teachings can be invoked to resolve our problems, it would be a very proud day for me as a Sikh”.
Puri however refuted claims that the Centre had set the date of November 26 as foundation stone laying function of the Kartarpur corridor only after the Pakistan dispensation announced the date of its groundbreaking ceremony.
“Let me place on record that we were doing preparations several months earlier.”
Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who also attended the ceremony, said the “historic” event was an emotional moment for her.
“Today, I am getting to go to a place where the guru spent 18 years of his life. For me, this is an emotional moment, which has come through because of the prayers, millions like me have been saying for 70 years way before I was even born,” she said.
“If the Berlin Wall can fall, then the mistrust between two neighbourly countries, India and Pakistan, can also be removed through revisiting the message of peace and love spread by Guru Nanak,” Harsimrat said, adding that the place Guru Nanak spent his last years had been “so close, but so far for 70 years”. -PTI
Ground Realities are in part a function of the person talking about them – his perceptions – family views – job related views and more. They are also a function of reality on the ground . They are a function of personalities and the future. A function of a positive or negative outlook