CHANDIGARH: While not naming cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu, who sought to undermine his leadership with his “Rahul is my Captain” remark, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday thanked the Union government for facilitating the opening of the Kartarpur corridor and also thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for extending an invite for the ground breaking ceremony.
He made the remark during deliberations on a resolution in the Assembly on the opening of the corridor linking Dera Baba Nank in Punjab and Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. The resolution was passed by a voice vote.
Sources said he was also seen being advised by members in the opposition to not see the project through the “prism of terrorism”. Amarinder urged all political parties to rise above differences and play a constructive role in maintaining peace and harmony in the state, as that would go a long way in foiling the evil designs of terror groups operating at the behest of Pakistan’s premier espionage agency, ISI.
He said the Union government should ensure timely completion of all necessary work to enable opening of the corridor well before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November 2019. However, he cautioned that the opening of the corridor shouldn’t come at the cost of disturbing peace in the state.
He described the corridor as a ‘Bridge of Peace’ between the people of India and Pakistan.
He said that he was subjected to a lot of criticism for hitting out at Pakistan over its army’s persistent’s effort to revive militancy in the state. The CM said, “Do you really think the Pakistan Army favours peace between the two countries when our soldiers are slaughtered on the border?”