Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims. Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522.

The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died. The Kartarpur Corridor, which will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, is expected to be completed within six months. The development comes ahead of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary next year.

Thousands of Sikh devotees from India visit Pakistan every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Last week, Pakistan and India announced that they would develop the corridor on their respective side of the border to help Indian pilgrims visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

India-Pakistan ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place.

The ties between the two countries had strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016. Pakistan had invited External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who thanked her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the invite and said she was unable to travel to Kartarpur Sahib due to prior commitments.

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 his cricketer-turned-politician friend Imran 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. Sidhu has already arrived in Lahore with a group of Indian journalists to attend the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday.

PTI

 The Congress-led UDF on Tuesday announced that it will continue the protests till the Kerala Police withdrew the prohibitory orders enforced in Sabarimala.

The decision was conveyed by the United Democratic Front (UDF) Convenor Benny Behanan to the media here, soon after the Liaison Committee of the leadership met here.

“We have decided that our protests will continue till the prohibitory orders in the temple town in Sabarimala are lifted. Our protests will be seen both inside and outside the Assembly,” said Behanan.

The business session of the state assembly begins on Wednesday.

The Kerala Police on Monday extended Section 144 of the CrPC that prohibits assembly of more than four persons in one place, till November 30.

Sabarimala town has been witnessing repeated protests ever since the September 28 verdict of the Supreme Court that allowed women of all ages to enter the temple that hitherto banned girls and women aged 10-50.

The apex court had on November 13 refused to stay its earlier order, three days before the temple opened for a two-month long season.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government-led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has been trying to implement the top court’s order even as the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and several Hindu groups have been up in arms against it.

Behanan added that there was “an unholy alliance between the Pinarayi Vijayan government and the BJP/RSS forces”.

“Vijayan and the Sangh Parivar forces are hand-in-glove and the former has given the chance to the latter to get glorified through their protests and arrests of their leaders.

“This is a ploy by the two forces. We have had a consistent stand on the Sabarimala issue. We will not withdraw our protest till the prohibitory order is withdrawn,” Behanan added.

In a related development Rehana Fathima, who had attempted to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple, escorted by the police on October 19, was arrested on Tuesday.

Fathima had faced massive protests from devotees and had to return midway.

She was arrested after a Bharatiya Janata Party leader had complained to the police that she had made inflammatory comments on her Facebook page.

IANS

In a strong attack on the tenth anniversary of the 26/11 terror strikes, India on Monday asked Pakistan to give up its “double standards” and to expeditiously bring the perpetrators to justice, saying its planners still roamed the streets of the neighbouring country with impunity.

India also welcomed the statement issued by the United States on Monday calling on Pakistan to uphold their UN Security Council obligations to implement sanctions against the terrorists responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and its affiliates.

In a statement, the External Affairs Ministry said it was a matter of deep anguish that even after 10 years of the heinous terror attack, the families of 166 victims from 15 countries across the globe still await closure, with Pakistan showing little sincerity in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

“The planners of 26/11 still roam the streets of Pakistan with impunity. The 26/11 terrorist attack was planned, executed and launched from Pakistan territory.” the statement said.

It referred to the remarks of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that Pakistan-based non-state actors or militant organisations played a role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

“The former Prime Minister of Pakistan had earlier this year admitted that the terrorists were sent from Pakistan’s soil. We once again call on the Government of Pakistan to give up double standards and to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of the horrific attack to justice.

“This is not just a matter of Pakistan’s accountability to the families of the innocent victims who fell to terrorists, but also an international obligation,” the ministry said.

It said the Indian government will continue its efforts to bring justice to the families of the victims and the martyrs.

The External Affairs Ministry statement said that the government and the people of India sombrely remember the victims of the dastardly attack and the martyred security personnel who laid down their lives.

It said that President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in separate messages, have expressed their firm solidarity with the families of the victims and martyrs.

A solemn memorial event and wreath laying ceremony was organised on Monday by the Maharashtra government at the Police Memorial in Mumbai and the Memorial at Taj Hotel, Mumbai.

The Indian missions in fourteen other countries, which lost their nationals in these attacks, organised memorial events remembering the victims, both national and foreign, reminding the world of the global threat of terrorism.

Senior government representatives from the host governments, family members of victims and survivors participated in the solemn events.

Timed for the tenth anniversary of the 2008 Mumbai attack on Monday, the US government has announced a $5 million bounty covering all the terrorists connected with it.

The reward offered under the State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Programme is for “any individual who committed, conspired to commit, or aided or abetted in the execution” of the attack that killed 166 people, a Department media note said on Sunday.

This is the third RFJ bounty from the State Department on terrorists involved in the Mumbai attack carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as it casts a wider net beyond its leaders.

IANS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India will never forget the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and their perpetrators and was “waiting for the appropriate time” as law would take its course.

“India will never forget 26/11 attack, and neither forget the perpetrators. We are waiting for the appropriate time….” he said with a pause without elaborating as the crowd cheered him when he was addressing an election meeting here.

“Law will take its course. I want to assure the country,” he said.

Slamming Congress for doing politics over the 26/11 terror attacks in 2008, Modi said, “Today is November 26, when there was a Madam rule in Delhi through remote control, when there was Congress government in Maharashtra. There were Congress governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra and 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai… terrorists killed people and security forces of our country.”

“It is 10 years of that attack. I can still remember when the terror attacks happened in Mumbai, election campaign was going on in Rajasthan.”

Modi said that the Congress leaders then used to accuse the leaders of other parties of doing politics when they condemned the attacks.

“What they (Congress leaders) said then, I still remember. They said it is a war, Pakistan has attacked India. And these people are doing politics. At this time one need to strengthen the hands of the Centre and there should be no politics on the terror attacks. They used to preach this,” he said.

The Prime Minister accused the Congress of attempting to use the 26/11 Mumbai attack to win elections in Rajasthan and attacked the party for questioning the 2016 surgical strike carried out by the Indian Armed forces across the border.

“I want to ask them and Congress that 10-years ago such a big terror attack happened, whole world was shocked and Congress was playing a trick to win the elections from that,” he said.

“The same Congress at that time used to preach patriotism. And when our country’s forces did surgical strike in Pakistan, when they took revenge, showed their valour and gave a befitting reply to the enemies in their home, in such a crucial time, Congress asked for showing the video of the surgical strike,” he said.

“Will the armed forces take cameras in their hand during such operations. At that time they did not remember patriotism,” he said.

Modi also said that during his four years of rule, terror attacks have been restricted to Jammu and Kashmir.

“Remember those times when terror attacks took place across the country. We have fought against terrorism in such a way that they are unable to move out of Kashmir as they see their death,” he said.

The elections for the 200-Assembly seats in Rajasthan are scheduled for December 7. Counting of votes will take place on December 11.

IANS

 India on Friday strongly protested Pakistan’s denial of consular access to Sikh pilgrims visiting two gurdwaras there on the occasion of Gurpurab – the 549th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev.

“India has today lodged a strong protest with the government of Pakistan that despite having been granted prior travel permission by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, the consular officials of the High Commission of India in Islamabad were harassed and denied access on Thursday and Friday at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurudwara Sacha Sauda to the Indian pilgrims visiting Pakistan under the Bilateral Protocol,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

“As a result of such harassment they were compelled to return to Islamabad without performing their diplomatic and consular duties vis-a-vis Indian pilgrims.

“We have shared our grave concern that this is the third consecutive visit of the Indian Sikh pilgrims when Pakistan has prevented the Indian High Commission officials from meeting the visiting Indian nationals on the pretext of security in order to deflect attention from Pakistan’s violation of the international legal instruments and conventions like the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963”.

The statement said that this breached the letter and spirit of the 1974 Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines signed by the two countries and the 1992 Code of Conduct for the treatment of diplomatic and consular personnel in India and Pakistan.

It said that Pakistan’s action was in contrast to India’s treatment to their High Commissioner and the consular officials in New Delhi who have been provided full access to meet Pakistani pilgrims who are currently in India on a pilgrimage to Kalyar Sharif.

Friday’s development comes after India on Thursday decided to build a corridor from Gurdaspur district in Punjab to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Kartarpur Sahib is where Guru Nanak died in 1539.

New Delhi urged Islamabad to build the corridor on their side of the International Border and demanded that Sikh pilgrims should be allowed access throughout the year.

According to Friday’s Ministry statement, India also “expressed grave concern at the reports of attempts being made during the ongoing visit of the Indian pilgrims to Pakistan, to incite communal disharmony and intolerance and promote secessionist tendencies with the objective of undermining India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

“Pakistan has been called upon to take all measures to not allow its territory to be used for any hostile propaganda and support for secessionist tendencies against India in keeping with the commitments made under the Simla Agreement, 1972 and endorsed in the Lahore Declaration, 1999.

“Pakistan has been reminded that such actions are not in consonance with the stated intentions of Pakistan to facilitate the visits of Indian Sikh pilgrims, especially as we commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji.”

IANS

 A week after the Sabarimala temple opened for a two-month pilgrimage season, the number of pilgrims has touched a new low due to political protests as well as tightened security.

According to official figures, while five lakh pilgrims visited the temple during the opening week in the last season, this time the figure is just 1.42 lakh.

The sale of ‘appam’ (local variety of cake) and ‘aravana’ (jiggery payasem) to pilgrims has also dropped, forcing authorities to slow down production.

The main reason for this has been the tightening of the rules for pilgrimage by the police following protests by Hindu groups since September 28 when the Supreme Court allowed women of all ages to enter the temple that hitherto banned girls and women aged 10-50.

The apex court on November 13 refused to stay the September verdict.

The Left Democratic Front government led by the CPI-M has been trying to implement the apex court’s verdict even as the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and several Hindu groups are up in arms against it.

On Wednesday, 72 pilgrims who were arrested after they protested at the temple were released from the jail after they secured bail.

But the protests have helped the pilgrims in one way — they are able to pray before the deity in a leisurely manner.

During this time in the previous season, the flyover leading to the sanctum santorum of the temple was packed. This week it looks deserted most of the time.

“I am coming for the past 18 years. This time, I could go up the hallowed 18 steps by touching all the steps with both my hands which I could never do all these years because of the rush,” said one pilgrim, beaming with happiness.

“I have already had ‘darshan’ of the deity four times and am getting ready for a fifth time.”

Minister of Devasoms (temples) K. Surendran told the media on Thursday that the situation was smooth in Sabarimala and there had been relaxations of the rules.

“For the real pilgrims there are no issues and no problem. The restrictions are only for anti-social elements,” he said.

After the Kerala High Court’s intervention, the ban on going up to the temple from Pamba has been lifted.

Any dip in the number of pilgrims to Sabarimala affects the Travancore Devasom Board – custodian of the temple – as the revenue generated from Sabarimala is used to meet expenses of about 1,200 temples under its jurisdiction.

IANS