Bringing the marriage party of sin, Babar has invaded from Kaabul, demanding our land as his wedding gift, O Lalo. Modesty and righteousness both have vanished, and falsehood struts around like a leader, O Lalo. The Qazis and the Brahmins have lost their roles, and Satan now conducts the marriage rites, O Lalo. The Muslim women read the Koran, and in their misery, they call upon God, O Lalo. The Hindu women of high social status, and others of lowly status as well, are put into the same category, O Lalo. The wedding songs of murder are sung, O Nanak, and blood is sprinkled instead of saffron, O Lalo”.
— Guru Nanak’s Babar Bani (translated Into English Verse), (SGGS 722 Tilang M:1)
There could not have been the better way to celebrate the 550th anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikh Panth. The Kartarpur Corridor between Bharat and Pakistan is to be opened up for the pilgrims to visit the sacred site of Gurdwara Sahib Kartarpur linked to the Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur. Though this should be welcomed as a religious
initiative, there are multiple cautionary notes that should guide the actual execution of the project.
It was during the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Lahore initiative, Akali leader Prakash Singh Badal first time flagged this issue and formally requested for access to the Kartarpur Shrine. Pakistan did not consider it then. We received Kargil in return is a known fact. Why Pakistan suddenly agreed to this proposal is not even a matter of guess. Amidst the growing isolation at the international level, this is the face saving attempt for the economically dwindling neighbour. This again should not turn out to be a sinister attempt to deviate the attention.
Pakistan supported terrorists and trouble makers are in a tight situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The revival of Khalistan movement seems to be the clear roadmap for the epicentre of global terrorism. The presence of Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, along with the pro-Khalistani elements, during the ground-breaking ceremony on the Pakistan side is a dangerous sign. We have witnessed a blast in the Nirankari Samagam in Amritsar recently. At the international level, right from Canada to London, Pakistan army and ISI are facilitating the referendum 2020 is a known fact. At the pick of Khalistan movement, the same Gurdwara Sahib of Kartarpur, along with the Nankana Sahib, was used by Pakistan as the base to support the Khalistani movement. The customary mention of ‘Kashmir’ as an outstanding issue by Imran Khan on this pious occasion further underscores the intent.
Though, the people like Navjot Singh Siddhu, who is known to be a bad team player, and self-proclaimed celebrity journalists are using this occasion for photo-ops, the message given by the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj are loud and clear. In a reply to the invitation by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, the Punjab CM has aptly reminded that, “not a day passes when Indian soldiers are not killed or wounded on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir” and further sternly communicated that, “under these circumstances it will not be possible for me to be present in Pakistan on this historic occasion, despite the fact that paying my respects at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib has always been my cherished dream which will hopefully be fulfilled once these hostilities and killings are stopped.” This has been the official line and should continue to guide us individually and collectively.
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji himself has recorded the barbarism of Babur. The mindset that Pakistan proudly inherits, as depicted in their history books and missiles like Ghori, Ghaznavi and Babur, is no different. Instead of getting carried away with the ‘corridor of peace’ narrative, we should keep the narrative of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in mind and deal with the initiative with caution.
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