Pakistan should allow access to Kartapur: Former minister MS Gill

Tribune News Service 

New Delhi, August 19 

Former Union Minister MS Gill on Sunday congratulated Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for taking the initiative to open an access across river Ravi in Dera Baba Nanak for pilgrims from India to visit to pay homage to Guru Nanak on his 550th birth anniversary.

At a time when Sidhu came under sharp attack from the BJP for going to Pakistan to attend the swearing-in of Prime Minister Imran Khan and embracing Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Gill came to Sidhu’s defence stating that he too as MP had been raising the issue for the past several years and wrote to the Central Government, “but authorities in Delhi remained indifferent”.

Reacting to a report that Gen Bajwa during the meeting told Sidhu of plans to throw open the border at Kartarpur for pilgrims to cross over and pay homage on the anniversary, Gill said he hopes the army chief would hold to the promise. He said it was also time for the Pakistan premier to take a step forward and earn goodwill of Indian people.

Likening religious sentiments with the gurdwara situated on the west bank of the river across Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district, as Mecca for followers of Sikh religion, Gill said while notwithstanding the problems in the region, faithfuls face no hindrances in going to Jerusalem but “even 70 years after Independence we still cannot go across river Ravi while we can see gurudwara from here.

“All it needs post-monsoon is a Bailey bridge so that people can walk across the distance of four km to pay homage at the site Guru Nanak spent last two decades teaching results of his philosophical thinking.”