Jalandhar- December 10,2018: US-based North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) strongly condemned the statement of Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in which the latter said that Pakistan Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa had broken the news of opening the Kartarpur corridor to Navjot Singh Sidhu even before Imran Khan was sworn in as their Prime Minister.
NAPA executive director Satnam Singh Chahal in a statement issued here today said that statement of Punjab Chief Minister is a very damaging to the process of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor opening. He said that the real issue is the opening of Kartarpur Sahib corridor opening and not who is taking the credit and who is doing conspiracy in this process. Anger had evoked in the Punjabi Diaspora about the statement of Punjab Chief Minister in this regard, he added.
Chahal questioned that if Pakistan was attempting to revive militancy in Punjab then it should be dealt at government level. Issue of Kartarpur Corridor should not be damaged at any cost by playing dirty politics. Lashing out at those politicians who are branding the Punjab minister as stooge of the Pakistan Prime Minister, Chahal said if they cannot do anything for the community then they have no right to become hurdles in the ways of those who are committed to do something for the community. He appealed to all politicians of state and at the Centre not to play dirty politics to damage the kartarpr sahib corridor process which is a dream of crores of Sikhs around the globe.
Not only the Kartarpur corridor but efforts to open all the borders with Pakistan should be initiated so that peaceful atmosphere could be created in the South Asia. He said not only the Sikhs, but the Hindu community of Punjab associated with the business is also hopeful for a warm relationship with Pakistan so that they can be more prosperous by increasing trade relations with the neighboring country.
Chahal said that even the corridor of Mansarovar has been opened with China and there is no negative propaganda about it. In fact, the protest of the Kartarpur corridor is being directly linked to the Sikh traditions and Navjot Singh Sidhu is being targeted as a Sikh. In the past, LK Advani also visited the tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Atal Bihari Vajpayee too had gone to Pakistan to extend the hand of friendship but now the people who had admired both leaders moves are opposing Sidhu by targeting his turban, added Chahal.