Up to India & Pak, not Sidhu, to open corridor: Sukhbir

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 23

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal here on Thursday dismissed Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s claim on the Kartarpur corridor as a gimmick.

On the assurance reportedly given by Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa regarding opening the cross-border passage, Sukhbir said Sidhu had concocted it to justify his decision to hug the military officer.

Sukhbir, who paid obeisance at the Golden Temple here, said the long-awaited corridor could become a reality only if the governments of India and Pakistan took a joint decision.

“We have repeatedly approached the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Ministry to open the gateway on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year,” he said.

“If Sidhu is so good at setting things right, he should first convince Pakistan to refrain from ceasefire violations that claim the precious lives of our soldiers daily,” Sukhbir said.

Meanwhile, Dal Khalsa secretary, political affairs, Kanwar Pal Singh said, “We believe that the Pakistan Government is open to the idea (of the corridor), but India has been dilly-dallying for the past two decades. We suspect that whenever Pakistan under Imran Khan will officially come up with a proposal to build a corridor to mark Guru Nanak’s 550th anniversary, India will not respond positively,” he said.