At Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, Navjot Singh Sidhu bats for Indo-Pak trade

Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur): Former cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, on Wednesday.

While stating that Sidhu appealed to both the Indian and Pakistani governments to promote peace between both countries, deputy secretary (administration) of the Project Management Unit (PMU), Saif Ullah Khokhar said. During Sidhu's visit, the head granthi of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Gobind Singh bestowed siropa (robe of honour) upon Sidhu and he paid obeisance at the gurdwara, visited Dewan Asthan of the gurdwara and partook langar, he added.

In 2018, Sidhu had stirred a hornet's nest with his controversial Pakistan visit to attend the swearing-in ceremony of former Pakistan prime minister-elect Imran Khan in Islamabad. During the visit, Sidhu had hugged the then Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, who reportedly assured him of the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor following which Sidhu took up the matter with the Union government. On November 9, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan inaugurated the respective sides of the corridor.

Prior to crossing the border en route to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Sidhu said, "The potential of the corridor is locked; we must unlock it. It has the potential for fostering good friendships, promoting love, facilitating business, enhancing people-to-people contact, and offering other unimaginable benefits for humanity." "Sadi zaban eik hai, khanpan eik hai, sadia tae gala ve eik nay (Our language is same, eating habits are same and even our expletives are the same," he said.

Citing the example of the trade route between Karachi and Mumbai, he suggested Amritsar-Lahore could be the optimal trade route between the two countries. "Attacks had happened there also, Amritsar-Lahore remains the most viable and traditional trade route connecting the two nations" he said.