‘Pak must re-think Kartarpur service fee’
BIRMINGHAM: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has called on Pakistan to re-think the service fee charged from pilgrims visiting the Kartarpur Sahib Sikh shrine via the newly opened corridor, which he hailed as a great symbol of peace and hope.
During a visit to the Birmingham Town Hall for a special event on Sunday as part of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev in the UK, the Capt also called for a re-think on the requirement of passports to make it easier for pilgrims.
“All these religious shrines belong to every community. We don’t stop anyone coming to our side, whether it is to Ajmer Sharif or Nizamuddin dargah,” he said. “This business of charging money for us to pay our respects is not on...,” he said.
CAPT BATS FOR INDO-PAK PEACE
While expressing his gratitude to both Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, Singh expressed the hope that the corridor could lead to further moves towards peace. “We are hoping to achieve friendship and peace with our neighbours. India has been through enough and Pakistan
has been through even worse, so I don’t know why we can’t get together and sort this matter out,” he added.
Describing the Kartarpur corridor as a beginning towards better relations between India and Pakistan, he hoped it would set the stage for opening of other religious shrines.
With reference to a historic ‘black-list’ of some diaspora Sikhs over anti-India activities, the CM stressed that he was keen to “start afresh” and that no such list remains in operation.