The opening of Kartarpur corridor is an eye opener for the Kashmir mainstream political parties particularly National Conference (NC) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) who have been in worst form of political blackmailing telling the people that for resolution of Kashmir issue their alliance with the political power in party at the centre is an unavoidable compulsion. The Kashmir mainstream should learn lessons from the Congress Government of Punjab which did not beg before Delhi but prompted Government of Pakistan to allow opening up of Kartarpur corridor the way that even Prime Minister Modi had to say that opening up of the surface link between Dera Baba Nank in Gurdaspur India with Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is just like falling of Germany’s Berlin wall. Top leaders of two largest regional mainstream parties of Kashmir National Conference (NC) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) have kissed the feet of top central leaders of Congress and BJP just for power for about last nine years but even a single concession was not offered to either of the two parties by their political allies in Delhi even once from 2009 Jammu when NC-Congress coalition government took over the reigns of power till June 2018 when BJP withdrew support to PDP.
While likes of Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah continue to beat drums on the central government’s accusations against Pakistan over attack on Air Force Station Pathankote the ministers of Congress government in Punjab did not allow the BJP’s central ministers to lay a foundation stone of the Baba Nank Gurdaspur- Gurdwara Kartarpur corridor on which their names were written. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh warned Pakistan Army Chief over troubles in Punjab not before but after the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor just to deny BJP an opportunity to settle political scores over Congress party on relations with Palistan ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Not the Chief Minister but a minister of the state Congress Government in Punjab Navjot Singh Sidhu used the cricket friendship route for opening up of the surface link from Dera Baba Nank in Gurdaspur to Kartarpur in Pakistan and did not bother to face even criticism of the BJP leaders for hugging the Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa during the swearing in ceremony of Imran Khan as new Prime Minister of Pakistan. Interestingly the idea of opening up of the Dera Baba Nank Gurdaspur- Gurdwara Kartarpur road took a big hype with the big hung of Navjot Singh Sidhu and the ball starting rolling in motion by Sidhu has finally brought cheers to the state Congress government in Punjab. While the attack on Air Force Station Pathankote is still being cited a reason for suspension of Indo-Pak talks over Kashmir, the talks on opening up of Baba Nank Gurdaspur- Gurdwara Kartarpur corridor were not suspended after a recent grenade attack in Punjab. While likes of Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah continue to beat drums on the central government’s accusations against Pakistan over attack on Air Force Station Pathankote the ministers of Congress government in Punjab did not allow the BJP’s central ministers to lay a foundation stone of the Baba Nank Gurdaspur- Gurdwara Kartarpur corridor on which their names were written . While the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh has warned Pakistan Army Chief over troubles in Punjab not before but after the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor just to deny BJP an opportunity to settle political scores over Congress party on relations with Palistan ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
