Sidhu may not get political clearance to travel to Pak for Kartarpur event

NEWDELHI:Former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu is unlikely to receive political clearance to travel to Pakistan to participate in the inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor, people familiar with developments said on Wednesday.

Sidhu, who had raised the issue of opening a corridor for Indian pilgrims to visit Durbar Sahib gurdwara at Kartarpur during the swearing in of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan last year, has been invited to the opening of the Pakistani section of the corridor on November 9.

The people cited above said Sidhu or any other dignitary subject to obtaining political clearance for foreign travel wouldn’t need such clearance if they travelled to the gurdwara as ordinary pilgrims through the cross-border corridor on November 9. Any dignitary travelling via the corridor after November 9 will have to obtain political clearance, they said.

The position adopted by the government suggests that Sidhu is unlikely to be granted political clearance for travelling to Pakistan on November 9.

Sidhu has sought permission from the external affairs ministry on two occasions - on Wednesday and on Saturday - to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor in Pakistan.

AGENCIES CHECK EXEMPTIONS BY PAK

Security agencies see the lastminute exemptions offered by Pakistan to pilgrims for visa-free access to the gurdwara as part of an elaborate plan to revive militancy in Punjab, two officials said.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan on Friday announced the pilgrims will not require passports to cross over to Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor as long as they possess valid identity cards. He also waived the $20 service fee for pilgrims. One of the officials cited above said Pakistan’s sudden change of heart “is a clear attempt to offer a false sense of bonhomie to the Sikhs”.