On Thursday, India raised security concerns about the anti-India activities underway at the Kartarpur Corridor along the borders of India and Pakistan. The intelligence agencies have reported that Pakistan is misusing the corridor to interact with Indian pilgrims and cultivate contacts with them.
According to the reports, Pakistan has been misusing the 4.5 km corridor that allows Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan visa-free. Pakistan is trying to meet and cultivate contacts among Indians going on the pilgrimage. It is also using the corridor to conduct business meetings.
#Gravitas | India has raised security concerns at the #KartarpurCorridor. Pakistan is apparently using the corridor to interact with Indian pilgrims and cultivate contacts with them. @mollygambhir brings you a report on India’s concerns. pic.twitter.com/Mzd0898R7i
— WION (@WIONews) April 21, 2022
This is after India took cognizance of a meeting of the officials of the Rotary Club that was recently held inside the shrine at the Kartarpur Corridor. By interacting with the Indian pilgrims and holding business meetings at the corridor, Pakistan has violated the 2019 Kartarpur pact as the purpose of the corridor is only a religious pilgrimage, and conducting business meetings there is banned.
The Indian intelligence agencies are collecting evidence against the country and the matter will be raised with Pakistan soon. After being shut for more than 20 months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the corridor was re-opened last November. However, though the government of Pakistan has changed, it continues to display its bitter attitude towards India. In 2019, when PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the portion of the corridor falling on the Indian side, the then Pakistan PM Imran Khan had inaugurated the corridor’s part on the Pakistani side. Khan had said that the launch of the corridor was a new road to peace. But since then, Pakistan has been using the corridor for various anti-India activities.
In November 2019, Pakistan tried to instigate Sikhs against India. It had placed a ‘bomb’ inside the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara premises with a banner that read that ‘the Indian Air Force had dropped this bomb during the 1971 India-Pakistan war on the gurudwara to destroy it’.
Also, the Indian intelligence agencies had reported that a group of terrorists was infiltrating near the Dera Baba Nanak area of Punjab. The report added that a substantial number of men and women are undergoing training at these terror camps. Recently, in 2021, the government of Pakistan appointed a non-Sikh person named Muhammad Latif as the CEO of the Project Management Unit, Kartarpur Corridor. It had hurt the Sikh sentiments seeing a non-Sikh with no knowledge of Sikh Maryada being given the crucial responsibility.
Shocked to see anti-Sikh decision from @GovtofPakistan once again!
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 7, 2021
Unfortunate that Pak Gov appointed a non-Sikh, Mr Muhammad Latif as CEO of PMU Kartarpur Corridor. It hurts Sikh sentiments when a non-Sikh with no knowledge of Sikh Maryada is given this major responsibility @ANI pic.twitter.com/xp1TYnDzGG
The Gurudwara is considered to be one of the holiest places in Sikhism as it is believed to be the final resting place of Guru Nanak. Kartarpur is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across the Ravi river.
