KARTARPUR: Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday stressed upon the need for further peace ventures between Pakistan and India without remaining a hostage to the bitterness of the past.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor, the prime minister said the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), all other political parties and Pakistan Army were on the same page and wanted to move ahead with India on the basis of ‘civilized relations’. “If India takes one step, Pakistan will take two steps forward,” he reiterated.
Referring to the Kashmir issue, the prime minister said it could be resolved as there was not even a single issue under the sun which could not be amicably settled. He stressed upon the Indian leadership to exhibit its ability to take decisions. “A genuine leadership can move ahead if it has dreams and strong resolve to achieve those,” he added.
Imran Khan said both Pakistan and India were nuclear-armed countries. “So how a war can be possible between us? It is foolish to even think of a war between two nuclear-armed nations … and if a war is not possible, peace and friendship is the only option we are left with,” he asserted. “Both countries cannot think of progress and prosperity unless they break the chains of past mired in point scoring and blame game,” he said, adding that the ties between India and Pakistan in the last 70 years required retrospection. Narrating a Punjabi verse of poet Muneer Niazi, he said both the countries had erred in the past.
The prime minister further alluded to trade potential between the two countries and noted that poverty posed the greatest challenge in the region. He said the Chinese leadership had pulled its 700 million people out of poverty trap in the last 30 years which reflected the pragmatic approach of China.
Imran Khan narrated experiences of his cricket carrier and the political arena and said two types of players stood apart with their different approaches towards the game. “The one feared defeat could not go for win, whereas the other would set his eyes on triumph, so he would always enter the field with positive approach,” he said. “Similarly, the politicians who enter politics for securing their vested interests always sacrifice people. On the other hand, a politician who wants to unite the people always takes chances,” he added.
The prime minister called upon the Indian leadership to ponder over the issue population living below the poverty line and affected with malnutrition issues including stunted growth. He said both the countries could excel through peace, trade and friendly ties.
Imran Khan said he can see the faces of Sikh community beaming with joys and assured that in the next year, on the eve of 550th birthday of Guru Nanak, all facilities in the areas would be provided.
In his speech, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the whole world had welcomed the decision of government of Pakistan to open Kartarpur corridor and expressed the hope that with its opening, ties between Pakistan and India would improve further. He said the prime minister had taken a meaningful decision which would secure peace in the whole region.
Qureshi called upon the Indian leadership to grasp the rare opportunity and hold meaningful dialogue with Pakistan for resolution of all the issues, so that potential in both the countries like trade and other resources could be diverted towards eradication of poverty. He stressed upon taking further steps like opening of corridor for the regional peace and prosperity.
Qureshi said Pakistan was a safe and secure state for all the religious communities and referred to the historical speech of August 11, 1947, delivered by its founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in which he underlined that everybody would be free to practice his or her religious rituals and rites in Pakistan. He said Pakistan was a land of diverse cultures and religions stretching from Mohenjo Daro, Harappa to Kartarpur. All communities are respected here under the teachings of Islam, he added.
Minister for religious affairs Noorul Haq Qadri said the initiative taken by Pakistan was another milestone in the journey towards peace. He said Pakistan was a safe and secure place for the minorities including Sikh. Guru Nanak always spoke of religious harmony and interfaith harmony, he said, and assured that in connection with 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Sahib, arrangements would be made to celebrate the event in a befitting manner.
Navjot Singh Sidhu said Prime Minister Imran Khan had done a great favour on the Sikh community living on both sides of the divide and stressed upon bringing about change in the thoughts for ensuring an enduring peace in the region. “Whenever there will be talk of peace, Prime Minister Khan’s name would come first,” the cricketer-turned-politician said and also acknowledged Pakistan Army for its role.
He said the governments in Pakistan and India deserved appreciation for opening of corridor and stressed that they should move ahead together. He said under the teachings of Guru Sahib, people could not be discriminated on the basis of cast, creed or religion.
Indian Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said such a development had not happened in the last 70 years but now it was materialized by Prime Minister Khan. She said it was the foremost demand of her community to open the Kartarpur corridor and expressed the hope that peace corridor would help remove tensions between both countries.
The corridor would connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpura, Norwal district, to Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur District.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, federal and provincial ministers and other officials were also present.
Published in Daily Times, November 29th 2018.
