When India’s minister for Sports, Sirdar M. S. Gill, says that, “Kartarpur is my Mecca, my Rome, my Jerusalem,” he is giving voice to the deep feelings of the world’s 26 million Sikhs

Pakistan’s new PM Gilani repeats the earlier Musharaf offer of a Visa-free land corridor for Sikh pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan


Washington, D.C., Wednesday, July 02, 2008 - When Sirdar Manohar Singh Gill, a Sikh, who is also  the federal Sports minister of India, said in a recent letter, to Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, (and earlier said so in the parliament also), that Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, “is my Mecca, my Rome, my Jerusalam,” he is speaking for the world’s 26 million Sikhs, three million FREE in the diaspora and twenty three million held captive, in Indian occupied Punjab, behind India’s infamous electrified barbed-wire ‘Berlin Wall’ which runs along the Indo-Pakistan border.

Talking to the Tribune, India’s minister of state of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sirdar M. S. Gill revealed that, “During the NDA regime, Pakistan had made an offer of considering visa-free visit for Sikhs to Kartarpur. The current Pakistan government has again made such an offer. Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan minister for religious affairs recently said they had no objection to visa-free travel of Sikh pilgrims to Kartarpur, situated in Narowal in Pakistan.” (To read details of Sirdar M. S. Gill’s letter to India’s External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and the minister’s wishy-washy reply, please click at: (>   http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080701/nation.htm#8   <)

Readers may recall that over seven years ago, in an exclusive interview to the English language Chandigarh-based Tribune newspaper, on 15 November 2000, the then Chairman of the Pakistan Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PGPC) and Pakistan Aukaf Board, Lt-Gen (retd.) Javed Nasir, told the world that General Pervez Musharaf has given a green signal for construction of a 1.5- km-long corridor along the Indo-Pakistan border. (Please read the report of that interview, written by veteran journalist Varinder Walia by clicking at: > http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001116/main6.htm <) The corridor would connect Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, located on the West bank of River Ravi in Pakistan, to Dera Baba Nanak on the East bank of the Ravi in India, which would allow Sikh devotees to pay obeisance to the founder of the Sikh religion, Baba Guru Nanak Sahib, in Kartarpur without the hassle of a passport or visa or rude and greedy police ‘Hawaldars’ on the border. Lt-Gen (retd.) Javed Nasir said that proper fencing along the proposed corridor would be done from the security angle. A 40-metre foot-bridge would also be constructed across the Ravi river so that Sikh devotees could visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara throughout the year. However, the Sikh shrine would be opened only during the day for a limited period.

The Kartarpur Sahib shrine is located on the western bank of the Ravi river. The gurdwara was built by the late Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, a ruler of Patiala state. During the time of the 1947 partition of Punjab, when the Gurdwara was still under construction, the work was stopped. Over the years the Kartarpur gurdwara became dilapidated. In the recent past, new minarets have been built and the holy shrine has been given a facelift. Lt-Gen Javed Nasir, the PGPC Chairman said that, the Government of Pakistan would write to Akal Takht Jathedar to take up the matter with the Indian Government so that it could allow Sikh pilgrims to visit the shrine without any hassle. Tribune’s Delhi Bureau added the following (prescient) footnote to the interview: “Official sources in New Delhi refused to comment on Pakistan’s proposal to build a corridor along the Indo-Pakistan border to the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara. They said that the jatha which went to Pakistan earlier this month was not an official one. The government or any of its agencies had not received any such proposal from Pakistan so far.” A Sikh website confirms the above facts when it says that  (>  http://www.kartarpur.com/Pak%20Offers.ht   <) in Nov. 2000 when a Sikh Jatha visited Pakistan in connection with the celebrations of Guru Nanak's birthday,  Lt. Gen. (retd) Javed Nasar, then head of Pakistan Gurudwara Management Committee,   while addressing the Sikhs at a Lahore Gurdwara, informed the jatha that ‘the Pakistan Govt was willing to open a corridor to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib’.  The website reveals that the Indian government, in a similar gesture, has been allowing Pakistani pilgrims to visit the shrine of a Muslim Sufi saint, Sheikh Braham, which is located in Khemkaran, India.

Some years later, a Tribune News Service  report published, in the Tribune, on August 20, 2004, said (>  http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040820/punjab1.htm#3  <) that the then Punjab Chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, made an important revelation, when he said that, “the Punjab state government had submitted a proposal to Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh to provide a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak, in India, to Kartarpur in Pakistan.” He was quoted as saying that, “the request had been made to the Prime Minister to take up this proposal with the authorities concerned in Pakistan. Kartarpur is a historic place in Pakistan, at a short distance from Dera Baba Nanak. Various Sikh organizations have been making the demand for such a corridor to visit gurdwaras there.”

Twelve days later, on September 2, 2004, the Tribune carried a report headlined, “PM: construction of corridor to be taken up with Pak,” in which it said that Prime Minister (>  http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040902/punjab1.htm#3   <) Manmohan Singh had assured the Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh, that his government would take up the construction of a 3 km-long corridor between Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib (Pakistan) and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur) during the forthcoming bilateral talks with Pakistan. The Tribune quoted Prime minister Manmohan Singh as saying that, “the proposed corridor would enable the devotees from India to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib especially in view of the fact that a true Sikh, in his daily prayers, urges the Akal Purkh (God) to give him an opportunity to pay respects at the holy places that he has been deprived of” In this report the Tribune took pride that it had,  “broken the news about a proposal of the Government of Pakistan to construct a corridor linking Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib with Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak on the basis of an interview with Lt-Gen Javed Nasir, the then president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Committee, in November, 2000.”

Exactly two years later, on August 4, 2006, India’s leading English language newspaper HINDU, (>  http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/08/stories/2006040816580500.htm  <) carried a Chandigarh datelined report from its Staff Correspondent, headlined, ‘Amarinder for direct corridor to Kartarpur Sahib,’  which revealed once again that, “Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said that the State Government would initiate necessary efforts with the Union Government to seek a direct corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan for the sake of devotees who have not had a chance to pay obeisance at the historic shrine since Partition. Making the announcement at a rally in Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district, Capt. Amarinder Singh said he had already taken up this matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the latter's recent visit to Amritsar. He disclosed that Dr. Singh had asked for a detailed proposal to enable India to take up the matter with the President Parvez Musharraf of Pakistan.”

Four months later, on December 18, 2006, a report was carried on an Indian news website (> http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20061218/540958.html <) which was headlined, ‘PM's intervention sought for free corridor for Pak shrine.’ The news item said that, “Kartarpur (Ravi) Darshan Abhilakhi Sanstha chief, Sirdar Kuldip Singh Wadala, has again sought intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to persuade Pakistan to create a 'free corridor' for Sikh pilgrims to holy shrine of Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi river where Guru Nanak breathed his last. Talking to reporters, Mr Wadala, a former Akali legislator, said that, “he was trying to seek an audience with the Prime Minister during his visit to Punjab tomorrow. Wadala said that he had been pressing for this demand and had written to all concerned including the Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Punjab Chief Minister. Mr. Wadala also said that he had also met Dr Manmohan Singh during his last Punjab visit, in March this year, and raised the issue. “The Pakistan Government had already expressed its readiness for providing the corridor”, he has claimed.

Two days later, on December 21, 2006, the Tribune reported, in a front page story, that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh  reading from a prepared speech, at a public rally in Amritsar, said (>  http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061221/main3.htm  <) that, “since 1947, while saying one’s Ardas every morning, every Sikh had been expressing the wish and fond hope that they should once again have easy access to those religious places which were now in Pakistan. Dr Manmohan Singh said his government had been working hard and making every possible effort to make it a reality. In the two and a half years, we have improved our relations with Pakistan. This has greatly facilitated easy movement of people and goods.”

On May 20, 2008, the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) asked the Central Government to include the Gurdwara Kartarpur Corridor issue in the agenda of the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s proposed visit to  (>  http://www.topnews.in/sgpc-centre-include-corridor-issue-talks-pakistan-242855 <) Pakistan. According to the SGPC, it has already sent several memorandums to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to treat the issue as priority in view of the Sikh diaspora’s sentiments. Before conducting the Prime Minister level meet between India and Pakistan, the two neighbors are holding foreign minister level talks on May 21.

Two days later, on May 22, 2008, Punjab Chief Minister .Parkash Singh Badal urged, “the Union External Affairs Minister,  Pranab Mukherjee, to take up the issue immediately with Government of Pakistan for allowing a religious corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in district Gurdaspur to Kartarpur on Pakistan side.” In his letter to Mukherjee, Chief Minister Badal pointed out that, “he had already discussed the issue with the (>  http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/10548/    <) Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh, who had asked him to take it up formally with the Ministry of External Affairs.” Badal again educated the Indian Foreign minister by telling him that, Kartarpur Sahib was one of the most religious places for Sikhs, as the founder of the Sikh religion, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, had spent major part of his life at this place.  It is located  on the Pakistan side about 3 kilometers westwards from Dera Baba Nanak in district Gurdaspur, India.  Badal also said that, “the singular desire of every living Sikh is to visit and pay obeisance at this holy shrine at least once during his lifetime.  To that effect, if a corridor is constructed from Dera Baba Nanak side (India) to the site of the Gurdwara at Kaprtapur (Pakistan side) it would go a long way in fulfilling this religious wish of the entire Sikh community worldwide.”

On June 29, 2008, the Tribune newspaper quoted Punjab Chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal, as saying  (>  http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080629/punjab1.htm   <) that, ”he had even suggested to the union minister (Pranab Mukherjee) to accompany him to Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan and be abreast of the ground realities but the minister politely declined the offer saying he would visit the shrine along with the officers concerned only after going through the feasibility study report.” However, Mukherjee finally agreed to accompany Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to visit the Dera Baba Nanak area today to see the historical gurdwara at Kartarpur with binoculars (from the Indian side) and assess the, “feasibility of the request of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, for the construction of barbed corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan so that Indian experts could conduct a feasibility study. Union foreign minister Parnab Mukherjee was quoted in the Tribune report as saying that, “a group of Indian experts would conduct feasibility study for the construction of barbed corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. The feasibility study would be followed by the clearance from government of Pakistan which would finally materialize this project.”

It is amazing that India’s shrewd External Affairs minister, Pranab Mukherjee, who is considered by political observers as ‘Indian Prime minister-material’ is talking of, ”a feasibility study (in June 2008) to be followed by the clearance from government of Pakistan,’ does not know that the Pakistan government has already ‘given it’s clearance’ for the Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib corridor way back in November 2000, more than eight years ago. (Please see the above second paragraph of this column or click at the following link: > http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001116/main6.htm <)

After seeing the shenanigans of Pranab Mukherjee & Co., a line from a novel (‘Tenth week’) written by that great American essayist, editor and novelist, Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900) comes to mind, which reads, “People always overdo the matter when they attempt deception.” The Indian government is overdoing it’s deception on the issue of a Visa-free corridor for Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan!