CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today urged the Union Government to reopen the Kartarpur corridor and demanded that trade with Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah route be resumed, as he paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
After offering prayers at the Golden Temple, CM Mann, accompanied by his wife Gurpreet Kaur, told the media that he prayed for progress, peace, and harmony in Punjab.
To a question on the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor, Mann said the Central Government should take the initiative on its own. “What is the use if they reopen it only when someone writes to them? They should reopen it on their own. Now cricket matches are also being played with them (Pakistan). Devotees even return after four to five hours after paying obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib. Therefore, the home ministry and external affairs ministry should reopen the Kartarpur corridor,” he demanded.
Mann also pointed out that trade with Pakistan through Gujarat continues. “Matches are also being played with them. People of both countries want peace,” he added.
Asked about the resumption of trade through the Attari-Wagah route, the Chief Minister said, “Definitely, it should resume. Lakhs of people will get jobs. Our trade will expand. We have been demanding this from time to time.”
The Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan — the final resting place of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak Dev — to the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. India had closed its side of the Kartarpur corridor following heightened tensions with Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam attack.