Trio accept Punjab CM’s invitation for Nov 9 visit
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be part of an all-party group (jatha) that will visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan for the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak on November 9.
The trio have accepted the invitation of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who clarified that the group would only go to the Kartarpur Gurdwara and not for the launch of the “corridor”.
The Punjab CM said the President and the Prime Minister have given consent for attending the 550th Gurpurab celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, including the historic opening of the Kartarpur Corridor. He also said Manmohan Singh too had agreed to join the first all-party “jatha” (delegation) to the Kartarpur Gurdwara to join the mega event after the opening of the Kartarpur corridor.
Amarinder told mediapersons that both Kovind and Modi had accepted the Punjab Government’s invitation to be part of the historic celebrations and that the modalities of their visits would be chalked out after the Kartarpur Corridor opening programme was finalised with Pakistan.
During his meeting with the Prime Minister, Amarinder also requested his personal intervention to facilitate the political clearance for allowing the special all-party “jatha” to visit Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on the historic occasion.
He requested that a group of 21 persons may be allowed to visit Nankana Sahib to organise a “path” (reading of religious scriptures) on the occasion of the 550th Prakash Purb from October 30 to November 3 and bring a “Nagar Kirtan” to Sultanpur Lodhi via Amritsar (Wagah) later in the day.
As per the proposed programme, the “Nagar Kirtan” will arrive at Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab’s Kapurthala district on November 4. The Punjab CM has also written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking a formal clearance for the Nankana Sahib delegation visit and the “Nagar Kirtan” to be brought from Pakistan to Punjab, according to an official spokesperson.
