Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, along with his ministers, led the 15-memebr ‘jatha’ (group) and visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur (Pakistan) on Thursday. Some MLAs and officials also accompanied Channi.
Pakistan delegation welcomed him when the CM Channi arrived at Kartarpur. Pakistan Sikh MPA from Punjab Assembly Ramesh Singh Arora also reached and met and briefed the visiting dignitaries.
Indian Punjab CM was overwhelmed over the historic religious experience. He tweeted, “Dedicated to 552nd Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Indian Punjab will run free buses for pilgrims to Kartarpur Corridor from across the Punjab.”
He wholeheartedly thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and India PM Modi for reopening the Corridor.
Navjot Sidhu will visit the Kartarpur Corridor on Saturday as BJB government in the New Delhi did not issue the visas to all congress MLAs and officials at the same time.
Pertinent to note that Charanjit Singh Channi is a member of the Indian National Congress (INC). He was previously Minister of Technical Education and Training in Second Amarinder Singh ministry and leader of the opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly.
Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu will not be part of the jatha travelling to Kartarpur.
On Wednesday night, Sidhu’s media adviser Surinder Dalla claimed that Sidhu has been officially intimated that he could go on November 20 instead of November 18. Sidhu had submitted his application on Tuesday for travelling to the historic shrine in Pakistan to offer prayers, he added.
Hindustan Times quoting Indian customs official reported that around 100 people are expected to visit the shrine on Thursday, a day before Gurpurab, which marks the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district, reopened on Wednesday.
A 28-member jatha visited the gurdwara on the first of the reopening of the visa-free corridor. The jatha comprising the panj pyare (five beloved of Guru) crossed over to Pakistan at 11am.
Officials of the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) and the Border Security Force (BSF) honoured the members of the jatha with siropas (robes of honour) and sweets at the Dera Baba Nanak integrated check-post.
A delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders will also visit the historic gurdwara via the corridor on Thursday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is taking a delegation to pay obeisance at Kartarpur on Friday.
Pilgrimage to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
