Captain Amarinder seeks release of 1971 war prisoners from Pakistan

Even as he extended a warm welcome to IAF wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman on his return home, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh urged Pakistan to admit to, and release, the Prisoners of War (PoWs) in its captivity from the 1971 war. He made the statement in an informal chat with reporters as part of his tour of border areas of the state in the wake of the escalating tension between the two countries.

“The Indian government must take up the issue of PoWs of the 1971 war with Islamabad,” the CM said, adding that it was good that talks on the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor were on track despite the tension.

“The state government will take up the issue of compensation for people whose land was being acquired for the corridor with the Centre. I will also request the Centre to allow 5,000-10,000 pilgrims to cross through every day, once the corridor is functional,” he added.

“I will be the first to cross the border and pay obeisance at the historic gurdwara,” he said, in Haruwal village in Gurdaspur district. He recalled his visit to the area as the ADC of Lt Gen Harbakhsh Singh in 1965, assuring residents, “If anything happens, I’ll be there with you.”

Amid loud cheers and slogans of Jai Hind, the CM told a gathering at the Dera Baba Nanak that the state was prepared for any eventuality. The CM also shared a cup of tea with the BSF personnel at the force’s border observation post. He also interacted with officers at an army camp in Gurdaspur, where the deputy commissioner and the DIG, border range, briefed him on steps taken to ensure safety of citizens. Interacting with students of Government High School, Dhyanpur, where his helicopter had landed, the CM told them to study diligently.

Cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, his media adviser Raveen Thukral and DGP Dinkar Gupta accompanied the CM. Others present were Ajnala MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala; IG border range Amritsar SPS Parmar; Gurdaspur DC Vipul Ujwal; Batala SSP Opinderjit Singh; BSF DIG of Gurdaspur sector, Rajesh Sharma, and the Commandant of 10 BN, BSF, Varinder Vajpai.

First Published: Mar 01, 2019 22:21 IST