Referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan by his full name ‘Imran Khan Niazi’ Prime Minister Modi subtly chided the former by reminding him of the genocide perpetrated by Pakistan on its own people during 1971 war in Bangladesh and the role of Lt. Gen. A A K Niazi. Imran Khan and Lt Gen Niazi both belong to the same Niazi tribe of Pashtun ethnicity. On 16th December, 1971, the Eastern Command of Pakistan led by Lt. Gen. A K K Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender in presence of India’s Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, which led to formation of Bangladesh.
PM Modi said he would like to thank Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi for respecting the sentiments of India. PM Modi was speaking at the opening of Kartarpur Corridor today which marks the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Integrated Check Post, a passenger terminal building where pilgrims will get clearance to travel through the 4.5 km-long corridor. Until last year, Indian Sikh pilgrims had to cover an arduous 125-km long journey via Lahore to pay a visit to the Kartarpur gurdwara.
The Prime minister flagged off the first batch of over 500 Indian pilgrims that will travel to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province through the Kartarpur corridor.
Addressing a public gathering at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, PM Modi dedicated the corridor to the nation and congratulated everyone in India and across the world on this occasion. “I congratulate all of my Sikh brothers and sisters in India and around the world on the inauguration of Karatarpur corridor”, says PM Modi.
The world bows to Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Watch from Dera Baba Nanak. https://t.co/UHKFTNDWyq
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 9, 2019
After the construction of this corridor, darshan of the Gurudwara Darbar Saheb will become easy said Modi while addressing the gathering at Dera Baba Nanak. He dwelled upon Guru Nanak’s preachings and said may the teachings of Guru Nanak flourish. “It is said that words always exist in the atmosphere in the form of energy”, the energy of Guruvani from Kartarpur will give blessings not only to our Sikh brothers but also to every Indian said PM Modi, informing that efforts are being made to turn Sultanpur Lodhi into a heritage town.
Read: Pakistan’s official song on Kartarpur Corridor features Bhindranwale and other Khalistani terrorists
“Guru Nanak Devji to Guru Govind Ji, then every Guru Sahib has made continuous efforts, made many sacrifices for the unity, defence and security of India,” PM Modi said that this tradition has been carried on with full vigour by the Sikh community in the freedom struggle and the defence of independent India.
“Our guru tradition, saint tradition, sage tradition, have suggested ways to deal with the challenges at different stages. Their paths were as meaningful then as they are today. Every saint, every guru has been urging towards national unity and national consciousness and we will keep up with this spirit and tradition”, he said.He further asked everyone present there to pledge that they will make Guru Nanak’s preachings a part of their lives and put in efforts to create harmony within the society.
Speaking about the successful removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister said that the Sikhs living in the Valley will now get all the facilities which they have been deprived off until now. Moreover, due to the consistent efforts and decisions of the Central government, the problems which Sikhs abroad were facing while travelling to India have been removed, said PM Modi. Further, he expressed gratitude to the Punjab Government, Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee for every labour partner who built this corridor in due time.
PM Modi had reached Amritsar airport this morning and paid obeisance at historic Ber Sahib Gurdwara, before heading for Dera Baba Nanak where he inaugurated the passenger terminal building of the Kartarpur Corridor. BJP MP from Gurdaspur, Sunny Deol, Union Minister Hardeep Puri and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Sukhbir Badal accompanied the PM at Dera Baba Nanak.
Punjab: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP MP from Gurdaspur, Sunny Deol, Union Minister Hardeep Puri and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Sukhbir Badal at Dera Baba Nanak. #Kartarpur pic.twitter.com/eBO2RzjPH7
— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2019
The corridor is being inaugurated almost a year after the foundation stone was laid down on the Indian side on November 26, 2018. Two days later, the foundation stone had been laid on the Pakistani side. This landmark people-to-people initiative comes against the backdrop of strained bilateral ties between the two countries over the issue of Kashmir.
The design of the state-of-the-art passenger terminal building is inspired by “Khanda”, a symbol of faith in the Sikh community. The fully air-conditioned building has over 50 immigration counters for facilitating about 5,000 pilgrims a day. The project was executed by a central government agency-Land Ports Authority of India. It has all the necessary public amenities such as kiosks, washrooms, childcare, first aid medical facilities, prayer room and snacks counters inside the main building. The national flag has been hoisted at the site on a 300-ft-tall post.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will open the Kartarpur Corridor ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on November 12.
