Devotees’ Preference is Free Corridor rather than 200Km long journey
Amritsar 5-10-04
Principal Hajinder Singh Randhawa
B.S.GORAYA Posts: n/a
SANGAT LANGHA KARTARPUR 60, D
Bus Service to Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib: Devotees’ Preference is
Free Corridor rather than 200Km long journey at a cost of Rs. 10,000.
Sangat Langa Kartarpur is not quite happy with the Govt of Punjab/India announcement of commencement of Bus service to premier Sikh shrine of Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur sahib in Pakistan at the cost of Pakistani proposal of free corridor to border shrine of Kartarpur sahib. Though this Sangat is of the opinion that Captain Amrinder Singh is the first ever chief Minister of Punjab who is trying to respect the feeling of Sikh devotees. Unilateral announcement of starting of the bus service to shrines in Pakistan, is nothing less than sabotage of the Pakistani offer of corridor to Kartarpur. It may be recalled that the Pakistan has accepted the corridor proposal after a great reluctance of 50 years. Now when the other country is willing to grant corridor is the Govt of India maintaining silence and has instead announced bus journey? It shows that perhaps the Indian Govt is not quite sincere with the peace process and is carrying it out as a mere ritual. On the other hand honourable prime Minister S. Manmohan Singh had accepted in principle the corridor demand when he was in Amritsar on Sept.1.
While the Sikhs feel that Kartarpur is a universal shrine where the three prominent religions of the region are represented by three memorials of Guru Nanak: an Islaminc grave and two samadhis. It is believed that real peace can be in the region only if Kartarpur shrine is opened for public. It may be recalled that this shrine has remained neglected for more than half a century now and wild grass had been growing in the premises while it is the first ever shrine of the Sikhs built by none else than Guru Nanak himself. The Sikhs feel that if there is grass in the shrine these two countries have not harvested crops progress either. They have invested more on defence rather than the welfare of the people. Had India and Pakistan lived in peace they would have been leaders in trade and commerce in Asia at least, as smaller, far eastern nations like Korea Taiwan Japan etc. have progressed in leaps and bounds. One wonders why Congres/BJP is maintaining Iron Curtain around the country. Do they want to hide their progress or poverty? Alas! The two nations are failing to read what is written on the wall. Is the example of U.S.S.R not enough for them?
It is a harsh fact that peoples’ faith knows no boundaries but the two Govts are deliberately ignoring it. A democratic country should not do like this.
As to the magnitude of the peoples’ aspiration we think
the example of border shrines of Kartarpur (Distt. Narowal Pakistan), Chamliyal
(R.S.Pura, Jammu) and Sheikh Brahm, Khemkaran (Amritsar) are enough to open
the eyes of sleeping rulers. For example 10 Lakh people saw Kartarpur in a
just week’s time in the March 2004 (Refer: Daily Ajit Jalandhar) and
Lakhs of people were present at Chamliyal on both sides of border. This Sangat
sincerely feels that Govt should stop playing with the faiths of the people
to be a true democracy and start a process to accept the Corridor to Kartarpur
and should come up with positive conditions like posting of Indian observers
at shrine and the erection of barbed fence around the corridor.