Congress leader and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has sought the permission of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh to attend the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor. Singh’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu has said that once he gets clearances from the concerned authorities, he will attend the ceremony.
Amritsar: Former Minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has sought the permission of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh to attend the inauguration ceremony of Kartarpur corridor.
However, his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu stated that if he does get requisite clearances from the concerned authorities, said his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu here on Saturday.
She said the former cricketer has received a special invitation from the office of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for the event to be held on November 9.
"Navjot Singh Sidhu has applied for necessary clearances as he has received a special invitation from the office of Pakistan PM Imran Khan to attend the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor," she told reporters.
"Imran has said Sidhu's presence is important since he had requested for this corridor. If he gets the required clearances and permissions, he will certainly go," she added.
"If our ties with Pakistan deepen after the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor, then Attari border will also be opened, which is our next wish. If he gets permission from the Chief Minister and the Foreign Ministry, he will definitely attend the event," said Kaur.
The BJP is now waiting for a reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs. MyNation spoke Zafar Islam, national spokesperson to the BJP who said, “We have to wait for MEA’s response, until then nothing can be said. But given his (Navjot Singh Sidhu) track record, he may be given permission. But let’s wait and watch what the MEA has to say.”
Navjot Singh Sidhu's visit to Pakistan in 2018 had drawn criticism from some quarters in India after he hugged the Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan.
He had earlier attended the ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor but has not been included in the Congress delegation, which will be visiting the gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib on November 9.
Last month, India and Pakistan signed an agreement on the modalities for operationalising Kartarpur Sahib corridor, paving the way for its inauguration ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
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