Kartarpur Sahib Corridor event: Due to prior commitments, I'll not be able to travel to Pakistan, says Sushma Swaraj
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Nov 24, 2018, 23:34 ISTHighlights
- Swaraj said that she has to campaign in Telangana on the same day and hence she will not be able to attend
- She said that in her place ministers HK Badal and HS Puri will be attending as representatives of Govt of India
- Earlier, Pakistan, along with Swaraj, had invited Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu
NEW DELHI: Shortly after receiving Pakistan’s invitation, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said that she would not be able to attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor in Pakistan as she has "prior commitments".
"I thank HE Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Foreign Minister of Pakistan for inviting me to attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor on the Pakistan side of the International boundary on 28 November 2018," she tweeted.
The minister, in a statement, said that she has to campaign in Telangana for the upcoming assembly polls in the state on the same day and hence she will not be able to attend.
The Union minister said that in her place minister for food processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal and minister of state for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri will be attending the event as representatives of Government of India.
The minister further added that her government is hoping that Pakistan will expedite the construction to help the pilgrims pay their respect at Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor.
Earlier today, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had invited Swaraj, along with Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.
READ MORE: Pakistan invites Sushma Swaraj for Kartarpur ground-breaking ceremony
"On behalf of Pakistan I have extended an invitation to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the ground-breaking ceremony at Kartarpura on 28 Nov 28, 2018," Qureshi tweeted.
A long-pending demand of the Sikh community to build a religious corridor linking India's border district of Gurdaspur with a historic gurudwara in Pakistan may finally be fulfilled with both the countries announcing that stretches would be developed in their respective areas.
In a significant decision, the government on Thursday cleared a proposal to develop a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district to the International Border to facilitate Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan.
The issue of Kartarpur Sahib came into focus after Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Pakistan in August to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Khan as prime minister of that country.
After his return, Sidhu said that Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had told him that Pakistan may open a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib.
"I thank HE Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Foreign Minister of Pakistan for inviting me to attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor on the Pakistan side of the International boundary on 28 November 2018," she tweeted.
The minister, in a statement, said that she has to campaign in Telangana for the upcoming assembly polls in the state on the same day and hence she will not be able to attend.
The Union minister said that in her place minister for food processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal and minister of state for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri will be attending the event as representatives of Government of India.
The minister further added that her government is hoping that Pakistan will expedite the construction to help the pilgrims pay their respect at Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor.
We hope that the Government of Pakistan will expedite construction of the corridor in order to ensure that our citi… https://t.co/g6PyUhu1OH
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) 1543080685000Earlier today, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had invited Swaraj, along with Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.
READ MORE: Pakistan invites Sushma Swaraj for Kartarpur ground-breaking ceremony
"On behalf of Pakistan I have extended an invitation to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the ground-breaking ceremony at Kartarpura on 28 Nov 28, 2018," Qureshi tweeted.
A long-pending demand of the Sikh community to build a religious corridor linking India's border district of Gurdaspur with a historic gurudwara in Pakistan may finally be fulfilled with both the countries announcing that stretches would be developed in their respective areas.
In a significant decision, the government on Thursday cleared a proposal to develop a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district to the International Border to facilitate Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan.
The issue of Kartarpur Sahib came into focus after Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Pakistan in August to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Khan as prime minister of that country.
After his return, Sidhu said that Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had told him that Pakistan may open a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib.
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