Sidhu and two Indian officials to participate in Kartarpur groundbreaking ceremony in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has said that if his government permits so he will must attend the groundbreaking ceremony of Kartarpur border corridor.

Accepting the proposal of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Indian government allowed to open Kartarpur border corridor to facilitate Indian Sikh pilgrims, which is one of their holiest sites in Pakistan.

He said that it would be a great honour for him to be a part of history, a private news channel reported.

Meanwhile, Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj excused from attending the groundbreaking ceremony of Kartarpur border.

Swaraj shared the news through her official twitter handle saying, “I thank HE Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi Foreign Minister of Pakistan for inviting me to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor on the Pakistan side of the International boundary on 28 November 2018″.

After thanking for the invitation, the Indian Minister further said that she will not be able to attend the ceremony stating, “Since I am unable to travel to Kartarpur Sahib on the scheduled date, Government of India will be represented by my esteemed colleagues Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Mr. H. S. Puri.”

Swaraj continued to add on that, “We hope that the Government of Pakistan will expedite construction of the corridor in order to ensure that our citizens can pay their respects at the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor as soon as possible,”

Shah Mehmood Qureshi earlier extended an invitation to his Indian counterpart to attend the ceremony for opening of the border crossing between the two countries on November 28.

The foreign minister also invited Chief Minister of India’s Punjab province Amarinder Singh and former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the ceremony.

 

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