Celebrating Guru In Pakistan
The Kartarpur Corridor leading to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab opened on Saturday amidst rise in the Khalistani movement propaganda from across the border. The Gurdwara, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is the one of the holiest shrines of the Sikhs. After long negotiations between Islamabad and New Delhi, the Corridor has opened, to mark the beginning of the 550th Guru Nanak birth anniversary celebrations.
The Indian intelligence community is, however, convinced that the Kartarpur corridor will be utilised by Pakistan to fuel the Khalistan movement. Very strategically Pakistan has chosen the timing of the opening of the Kartarpur corridor to coincide with the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, though the project had been hanging fire for long. Islamabad knew New Delhi won’t be able to say “No” to the corridor opening, as this would offend the Sikhs.
Pakistan last month started the process to establish a Guru Nanak University in Punjab province’s Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak. The foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak International University (BGNIU) was laid by PM Imran Khan. “Pakistan is moving in full gear to woo Sikhs in the border state of Punjab,” a top officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external espionage agency, told The Sunday Guardian.
As lakhs of Sikhs from Punjab and other places in India and abroad will be travelling to visit Kartarpur Saheb Gurdwara every year, Pakistan will easily build massive data about the Sikhs. And it will be easy for the ISI and its sponsored pro Khalistani militants based in Pakistan to bombard the Sikhs with propaganda material through email, social media platforms and other means. The Corridor, suspect Indian intelligence agencies, will be used to infiltrate Pakistan based Sikh militants in the guise of pilgrims.
Donations Pouring in for Guru’s Celebrations
At Sultanpur Lodhi, donations are raining. The Sikh community is making huge donations at gurdwaras, sarais, langar halls and government pandals for the 550th Guru Nanak birth anniversary celebrations.
As many as 12 golaks (donation boxes) have been placed at the Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee-managed Gurdwara Ber Sahib. Till last month, the gurdwara had four golaks, which were opened once a month and collection used to touch Rs 1 crore. “Now we are opening 12 golaks after every three days and collecting Rs 3 crore in donations,” said a gurdwara official.
Sidhu’s & Imran Khan’s Hoarding in Golden City
A credit war is going on between political parties over Kartarpur corridor. Interestingly, hoardings have surfaced across Amritsar giving credit to Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu and Pakistan PM Imran Khan “for making the project a reality”.
The hoardings carrying Sidhu’s and Khan’s pictures were removed by the Municipal Corporation.
Another ‘Sonrise’ In Politics: Chirag New LJP Chief
Former actor-turned-politician, Chirag Paswan (37), is now new president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Two-time Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, Chirag succeeds his father Ram Vilas Paswan, who floated the party in October 2000 when he broke away from the Janata Dal (United).
The LJP is now a part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP. Chirag has been handed over the baton by his father at a critical time as the Bihar Assembly elections are due next year. Chirag’s immediate task is to prepare for the upcoming Assembly polls in Jharkhand where the party did not fare well in the last elections. Chirag told The Sunday Guardian that the LJP demanded six Assembly seats.
Tall Afghan Cricket Fan Uncomfortable in Lucknow
Heads turned in Lucknow to look 8 ft 2 inch tall Sher Khan from Afghanistan. He was there on a four-day visit to watch the ODI cricket series between his country and West Indies. Khan could not find a suitable accommodation. Standard beds were too small for him. Most of the hotels refused to give him a room. Some even found him “suspicious.” Upset, Khan approached the police station on Tuesday night for help. After verifying his credentials, the cops escorted him to a hotel. He found the room “uncomfortable”. As the bed was short, he slept with his legs hanging out. The bathroom was “inconvenient”.
People assembled outside the hotel to see Khan, who finally had to be escorted by the police to the stadium to watch the match. The tall cricket fan wanted to visit the tourist spots but could not get into an auto-rickshaw.