KARTARPUR: Of course, Kartarpur Corridor was the focal point of the connect between Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh when they met on Saturday at the end of the historic journey led by the latter through the iconic Corridor. But there was another subject they discovered to be of common interest and talked about it during the short bus ride from the Pakistan side of the Zero Line to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara.
Cricket, of course, is always a common thread between every Indian and Pakistani. It would be that of bonding, or of firing passion on either sides.
But this bus ride was one of bonding, with Amarinder helping Imran discover a special connection between their families, even though the two had not met before nor have they known each other personally.
In the short trip, Amarinder admitted to Imran that he had seen the Pakistani Prime Minister play in his cricketing days. However the cricketing connect, was deeper, as the Chief Minister recalled.
Amarinder told the latter that his uncle, Jahangir Khan (who was married to Imran’s maternal aunt, Mubarak, and was a cricketer during the British Raj era) had played for Patiala, along with Mohd Nisar, Lala Amarnath, fast bowler Amar Singh and the two Ali batsmen (Wazir Ali and Amir Ali).
These seven players were part of the team captained by the Amarinder’s, Maharaja Yadvinder Singh, in 1934-35, for India and for Patiala – a fascinating bit of information for Imran.
The bus ride lasted less than 5 minutes, but, thanks to cricket, it was enough to break the ice between the two leaders.
Imran, and the Pakistan Foreign Minister, earlier received Amarinder and his delegation at Zero Point.
Amarinder hoped the journey through Kartarpur Corridor would continue in the future to build a stronger connect between the two countries – one that is as powerful as Cricket, which he hoped the two sides will try to play in the true spirit of the sport.