Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has been given permission to attend the Kartarpur corridor inauguration, government sources said on Thursday, 7 November.
This comes after he wrote multiple letters to Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar requesting permission to attend the inauguration over the last two weeks.
"Despite repeated reminders, you haven't responded to whether or not the government has granted me permission to go to Pakistan for the inauguration," said Sidhu in his fresh letter, earlier on 7 November.
‘Want to Visit on Pak Invitation’
On Saturday, 2 November, Sidhu sought permission from the MEA to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan, PTI reported.
The cricketer-turned-politician had also written a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in this regard, who has forwarded it to the chief secretary for necessary action, ANI reported.
In a letter to Jaishankar, Sidhu said that he had been invited by the Pakistan government for opening ceremony of Kartarpur corridor.
“As a humble Sikh, it shall be a great honour to pay obeisance to our great Guru Baba Nanak on this historic occasion and connect to our roots,” wrote Sidhu, who is a legislator from Amritsar East.
"Therefore, I may be permitted to visit Pakistan for this auspicious occasion," the former minister said in the letter.
In August 2018, Sidhu had attended the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Kartarpur Inauguration on 9 November
The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the Ravi river.
Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the Ravi river, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.
Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur up to the border is being built by India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartarpur corridor on 9 November at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)