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India’s foreign minister says
Kartarpur corridor possible
WSN Network
DERA BABA NANAK
(GURDASPUR):
India's External
Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, who visited Dera Baba Nanak on
June 28 over the Kartarpur corridor, said his ministry would send a
team of experts to Pakistan soon. But eager to seek quick publicity,
the Akali Dal's spin masters rushed press releases saying "Decks
cleared for corridor" but added in teh same breath that all that the
government has received was "an indication to this effect."
The Kartarpur
gurdwara is located barely 4.5 km into Pakistan territory from the
border town of Dera Baba Nanak. The corridor, if the proposal works
out, may subsequently serve as a new trade route between the two
countries, Pranab said.
The External
Affairs Minister was speaking to mediapersons in town. Incidentally,
Pakistan has repeatedly said, and openly, that it was ready to grant
the corridor. The Badal government claimed that Mukherjee assured
the CM that the Governments of the two countries were closing in on
a mutually agreeable outcome to the oft raised Sikh demand for a
direct corridor between the two historically and religiously
significant towns divided by the International Border between India
and Pakistan.
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Badal
‘unspeakably gleaming’
Shameless at
finding a photo-op and some momentary publicity, here is how
happy Badal and his men were. A press release issued by the
government's PR department not only underlined how profusely "Parkash
Singh Badal thanked the Union Minister of External Affairs" for
the "indication" on corridor issue but said Badal "was
unspeakably gleaming with the contentment and happiness".
Accompanying Badal were Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Speaker Punjab
Vidan Sabha, Rattan Singh Ajnala, MP, Harcharan Bains, Media
Advisor and Kuldip Singh Wadala, Ex-MLA. |
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It seems that a
high powered group of Indian experts and officials would conduct a
feasibility study for the construction of barbed corridor from Dera
Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. The feasibility study
followed by the strategic clearance from Government of Pakistan
would form the basis of locational alignment of the express link.
Badal said the
Punjab Government would go out of its way to modernize strategic
infrastructure in and around Dera Baba Nanak area. He talked of a
super expressway connection with
Amritsar
airport. While Badal called it "his Government's humble tribute to
the everlasting message of the great Gurus", the fact remains that
the issue has bee pursued by some dedicated individuals and of late
by Kuldip Singh Wadala.
2
July, 2008
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