Hours after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi invited his Indian counterpart to attend the Kartarpur groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for November 28, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she will not be able to visit Pakistan due to ‘prior commitments’, however two ministers will represent India at the ceremony.
“Due to my prior commitments, including election campaign scheduled in the state of Telangana on that day, I would not be able to travel to Kartarpur Sahib,” she said in a letter sent to the Foreign Office, while thanking Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the invitation.
Earlier in the day, in a statement posted on his Twitter handle, Foreign Minister Qureshi said he had invited Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as well as Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and popular television personality Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the event. “On behalf of Pakistan I have extended an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj @SushmaSwaraj ,Capt Amarinder Singh @capt_amarinder & Navjot Singh Sidhu @sherryontopp to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at #Kartarpura on 28 Nov, 2018. #PakistanKartarpuraSpirit,” Qureshi tweeted.
Sushma, however, said India’s Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri will attend the event as government of India’s representatives. “However, being mindful of the sentiments of our Sikh citizens and the importance of facilitating their smooth and easy access to holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, we will be sending Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister for Food Processing Industries and Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (IC) for Housing & Urban Affairs, as Government of India’s representatives for the event planned for 28 November 2018,” the letter read.
“It is our hope that the Government of Pakistan will expedite the construction of the corridor in order to ensure that our citizens can pay their respects at the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor as soon as possible,” the letter added.
The ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 28, and the groundbreaking will be performed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
India had on Thursday approved the building of Kartarpur entry point and road connecting the northern state of Punjab to the border with Pakistan, making it quicker and easier for Sikh pilgrims to visit a holy site. “Government of Pakistan will be urged to recognize the sentiments of the Sikh community and to develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory as well,” the Indian government had said in a statement. The Indian move came nearly three months after Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had offered to open the route to facilitate Sikh pilgrims. The COAS had told Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu at the inauguration of Prime Minister Imran on August 18 that Pakistan was ready to open the route to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur.
Published in Daily Times, November 25th 2018.
