Indo-Pak thaw on Sikh pilgrims

Indo-Pak thaw on Sikh pilgrims

FPJ BureauUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 04:31 AM IST
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It is heartening that there has been a thaw of sorts in Indo-Pakistan relations with the spirit of give and take displayed by the two sides on the issue of a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib allowing Sikhs to visit the famous shrine at the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev. The shrine is a bare three kms from the Indo-Pak border on Pakistan’s side.

The issue has been going back and forth for 19 years but the breakthrough came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet approved a proposal to build and develop the corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the international border and appealed to Pakistan to open the passage for pilgrims. That Pakistan responded promptly and positively is gratifying.

The shrine is on the banks of the Ravi in Narowal district of Pakistan. Significantly, Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had conveyed to Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu his country’s willingness to open the corridor when Sidhu had gone to Islamabad for new prime minister Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony three months ago.

While the opening of the corridor to the shrine is a step forward in the bitter ties between the two countries, there is indeed a long way to go. So long as Pakistan continues to train and infiltrate terrorists to fan the flames of subversion in Kashmir and India in general, there can be no tangible headway and no durable peace between the two neighbours.

It is, indeed, the Pakistan army which is the main stumbling block and it is folly to read too much into the extension of a corridor to Guru Nanak’s shrine. In fact, a sour touch was added to the bilateral relations recently when it emerged that the bomb blast in Amritsar which killed 60 people was the handiwork of Pakistan-based extremists with bombs which came from across the border. While Imran Khan has shown a perceptible willingness to forge peace with India, the army there has been hawkish and inimical towards this country consistently.

It is common knowledge that Imran has little leeway when it comes to relations with India. That Union home minister Rajnath Singh and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh are due to lay the foundation stone for the Indian side of the corridor to commemorate Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary on November 26 while Imran Khan will do the ground-breaking ceremony on their side two days later is a good basis to make a new beginning in relations. But there is no point not recognising that there is long, hard road ahead.

-Editorial

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