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Modi govt seems to have gone back on its insistence that there can be no communication with Pakistan unless cross-border terrorism comes to an end.

Chandigarh: The Narendra Modi government took another U-turn on its Pakistan policy Thursday, in effect accepting Pakistani Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa’s offer to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to access the Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara by building facilities up to the countries’ international border.

On 18 August 2018, at the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Bajwa had made an offer to Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu that Pakistan would build a corridor from the international border up to Kartarpur Sahib.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed Thursday that India would also build and develop a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district to the international border, as part of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations.

The Government of India has decided to celebrate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji in 2019 throughout the country and worldwide, in grand and befitting manner. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 22, 2018

In landmark decision, the Cabinet approves building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to International Border. Kartarpur corridor project with all modern amenities and facilities to be implemented with Central Government funding. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 22, 2018

The Kartarpur corridor will provide smooth and easy passage to pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib throughout the year. Government of Pakistan will be urged to reciprocate and develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 22, 2018

Once the corridor, called ‘langah’ in Punjabi, is built, Sikh pilgrims will be allowed to cross into Pakistani territory without a passport or visa.

The home minister also announced that another important site associated with Guru Nanak, Sultanpur Lodhi, will be developed as a “heritage town on Smart City principles”.

Current situation

Located barely three kilometres from the international border in the Narowal district, the Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara, on the banks of the Ravi, is one of the holiest shrines for Sikhs — it’s where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, breathed his last. He had spent the last 18 years of his life there, and Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is considered to be the first gurudwara ever built.

When the original building was washed away by a flood in the Ravi, the then-maharaja of Patiala, Bhupinder Singh, reconstructed the building. This was renovated by the Pakistan government in 1995, and a thick forest was cultivated around it.

Access to the gurudwara has been a perennial request from the Indian side since 1974.

On clear days, the gurudwara is visible from a viewing stage built on the Indian side in Dera Baba Nanak. Sikhs gather in large numbers every day to catch a glimpse (darshan) of the gurudwara in Pakistan. Just three days ago, the government of India had announced that it would install a high resolution telescope on the Indian side for pilgrims to get a better view of the gurudwara.

Now, it has announced that the Kartarpur corridor will be constructed as an integrated development project, with funding from the central government.

Pakistan, meanwhile, has claimed that a field survey has already been conducted, and its government will complete the corridor’s construction by next year. Two bridges, one over a local nullah and another over the Ravi, will have to be constructed on the Pakistani side.

Also read: What is the Kartarpur corridor issue that made Navjot Singh Sidhu hug Pakistan army chief?

The politics behind it

In September, Sidhu was involved in a war of words with Akali Dal MP and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, when he pleaded with Delhi to start a dialogue on the matter and Badal opposed him tooth and nail. Since Badal’s party is a BJP ally, Sidhu was sharply castigated for his seemingly “pro-Pakistan” views. She even suggested that Sidhu go live in Pakistan.

Sidhu’s own leader, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, had opposed Bajwa’s offer, saying peace moves like this couldn’t compensate for lives being lost on the border.

Overnight, though, the Modi government seems to have gone back on its insistence that there can be no communication or dialogue with Pakistan unless cross-border terrorism comes to an end.

Certainly, the upcoming general elections have played a big role in the Modi government’s reversal. The Akali Dal remains unpopular in Punjab, but this initiative, so close to the heart of Sikhs, could revive its chances in Punjab.

Also read: A hug is not a Rafale deal: Navjot Singh Sidhu on being embraced by Pakistan Army chief

Praise from Pakistan

Pakistan has already run away with the baton of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary celebration, giving an unprecedented 3,800 visas for Indian Sikhs to visit Pakistan.

The country’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi applauded the Indian government’s decision, and said the ground-breaking ceremony from the Pakistan side would take place on 28 November.

Pakistan has already conveyed to India it's decision to open Kartarpura Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarpura facilities on 28th November. We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion. — Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) November 22, 2018

Earlier, information minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that the agreement was a victory for the peace lobby on both sides.

Indian Cabinet endorsement of Pakistan’s proposition on #KartarPurBorderOpening is victory of peace lobby in both countries, its a step towards right direction and we hope such steps ll encourage voice of reasons and tranquility on both sides of the border. — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 22, 2018

Past attempts

In 1999, a proposal was mooted to construct the corridor, which was agreed to by Pakistan in 2000. But the project never saw the light of the day.

In 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during a visit to Amritsar, assured that he would work towards the construction of the passage. In 2008, Pranab Mukherjee, cabinet minister at the time, had visited Dera Baba Nanak to ascertain the viability of the project.

In 2010, the Punjab legislative assembly unanimously passed a resolution to ask the Union government to facilitate the construction of the corridor. In 2012, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee approached the Union minister for external affairs S.M. Krishna with the same request.

In 2014, Sikh bodies exhorted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

However, in May 2017, a parliamentary standing committee had ruled out the construction of a corridor, citing the negative political climate between the two countries.

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