The Punjab CM will lead an all party delegation to the Pakistani side on November 9. Image: RT_MediaAdvPbCM/Twitter
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh/New Delhi, October 3
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh will be part of the first Sikh jatha to Kartarpur Sahib on November 9.
President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi have agreed to be part of the 550th Prakash Utsav celebrations of Guru Nanak and also of the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor.
Capt Amarinder met the President and PM on Thursday to invite them to the ceremony.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also accepted the invitation of Punjab Chief Minister to be part of the first Sikh Jatha to Kartarpur Sahib on November 9 and also to be part of the main event at Sultanpur Lodhi.
Capt Amarinder ruled out a visit to Pakistan for the Kartarpur Corridor opening, making it clear that he would be only leading the first all-party Jatha to the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara to pay obeisance.
Amid reports incorrectly suggesting that Manmohan Singh had accepted Pakistan’s invitation to go there for the opening of Kartarpur Corridor, the Chief Minister told mediapersons here that he did not believe the former Prime Minister had any such plans either.
“There is no question of me going (to Pakistan for Kartarpur corridor opening) and I feel Dr Manmohan Singh will not go as well,” he said, pointing out that there was a huge difference between visiting Pakistan and going to the Gurdwara through the Corridor.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came in response to questions after a section of the media erroneously claimed that Manmohan Singh had accepted Pak invite and would be going across the border for the Kartarpur Corridor inauguration. The fact was that Dr Singh had accepted Captain Amarinder’s invitation to join the Jatha, to be led by the chief minister, through the Kartarpur Corridor, to pay obeisance at the historic gurdwara across the border, an official spokesperson pointed out.
As far as visiting Pakistan is concerned, the chief minister reiterated that he would not go there till Pak stops cross border terrorism.
Pakistan had recently said it would invite Singh for the inaugural of the corridor and not Indian PM Narendra Modi.
Singh’s office, however, declined having any knowledge of Pakistan’s invitation and said when Singh didn’t go to Pakistan as PM for ten years between 2004 and 2014 why would he go now.
Singh, born in Gah village of Pakistan’s Chakwal area, has not visited Pakistan for a long time.
Punjab CM’s spokesperson said: “President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have agreed to attend the 550th Prakash Purb celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev ji, including the historic opening of the Kartarpur Corridor in CM’s invite.”
In separate meetings with them here, the Chief Minister urged them to join the mega events to mark the auspicious occasion.
Captain Amarinder later told mediapersons that both had accepted the state government’s invitation to be a part of the historic celebrations and modalities for their visit would be finalised after the Kartarpur Corridor opening programme is decided with Pakistan.
“The detailed official programme of events had been shared with both, the President and the Prime Minister, and they had been requested by the Chief Minister to attend as per their convenience. However, the Chief Minister had urged them both to, in particular, participate in the Kartarpur Corridor opening at Dera Baba Nanak and the November 12 main programme at Sultanpur Lodhi,” a spokesman said.
At his meeting with the Prime Minister, Captain Amarinder also urged his personal intervention to facilitate political clearance for allowing a special ‘all-party Jatha’ to visit Sri Nankana Sahib, the birth place of the first Guru, now in Pakistan, on the historic occasion.
He requested that a group of 21 persons may be allowed to visit Sri Nankana Sahib to organise a ‘path’ on the occasion of the 550th Prakash Purb from October to November 3, 2019, and bring a Nagar Kirtan to Sultanpur Lodhi via Amritsar (Wagah) later in the day. The Nagar Kirtan will arrive in Sultanpur Lodhi Kapurthala) on November 4.
The Chief Minister has also written a letter to Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar seeking formal clearance for the Nankana Sahib delegation visit and the Nagar Kirtan to be brought from Pakistan to Punjab, according to an official spokesperson.
Giving details of the key events planned by the state government, from November 5 to November 15, in connection with the 550th birth anniversary celebrations, the Chief Minister said the flag off ceremony will be preceded by a brief public meeting of devotees at Dera Baba Nanak, he said. Further, in line with past practice, the Punjab government had proposed to organise an all party meet on November 1, 2019 at Sultanpur Lodhi.
The complete logistic and security arrangements for this meeting of pilgrims were being made by the state government, the Chief Minister told the Prime Minister and the President.