New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said that he had been warning since day one that Pakistan has a hidden agenda, reported news agency ANI.
The statement came after a video was released by Pakistan on Monday to mark the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor which showed posters of Khalistani separatist leaders Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Maj Gen Shabeg Singh and Amrik Singh Khalsa in the background in a clip.
“Sikh community had been asking for opening of the passage to the sacred Kartarpur shrine for the past 70 years, but Pakistan’s sudden decision to accept the demand indicated an ulterior motive, aimed at driving a wedge in the Sikh community by exploiting their religious sentiments,” Singh said, reported Hindustan Times.
The video, released on Monday by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, was criticised for showing the three Khalistani separatists who were killed during Operation Blue Star in in June 1984.
Read | 3 Khalistani leaders, including Bhindranwale in Kartarpur corridor video released by Pak
Singh said that they do not expect Pakistan to dare to do any mischief through the Corridor, but it is important that, as a border state, Punjab remains on alert.
According to security agencies, the last-minute exemption offered by Pakistan to pilgrims is seen as a part of an elaborate plan to revive militancy in Punjab.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that the pilgrims will not require passports to cross over to Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor as long as they possess valid identity cards. He also waived the USD 20 service fee for pilgrims on the inauguration day of the corridor. The pilgrims also no longer need to register 10 days in advance for the pilgrimage.
The Kartarpur corridor, which will link Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to Durbar Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan’s Kartarpur, is set to be opened on November 9.
