Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar has lauded Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s decision to decline Pakistan’s invitation as a `principled stand’ taken in the best interests of Punjab, and in fact the entire nation.
Hailing the Chief Minister’s stand, Jakhar said Captain Amarinder’s concerns of terror take over the euphoria prevailing over the Kartarpur Corridor were not misplaced. As a seasoned political leader with deep acumen, and as a soldier whose loyalty lay staunchly with his people and country, Captain Amarinder realized the message that could go down to the armed forces and the citizens of India from visiting Pakistan at the current juncture, said Jakhar, describing the Chief Minister as a statesman who could see beyond what was happening in the present.
Captain Amarinder had always taken, and stood steadfastly, by his principles, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief said, contrasting the Chief Minister’s stance with that of the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). BJP and SAD leaders keep changing colours like the chameleon, said the Gurdaspur MP, lambasting the two parties for playing to the gallery to further their vested political interests, irrespective of repercussions it could have for the nation.
The 10th anniversary of 26/11 stands out as a grim reminder of what can happen if we fail to see the signs, as evidenced in the killings of our soldiers by forces at the Line of Control (LoC) every day and the in recent attacks perpetrated in Punjab by ISI-backed terror groups, the Punjab Congress president said.
The Chief Minister rightly fears the fate of the proposed corridor if terror activities continue to spike, said Jakhar, recalling the fate of the other initiatives taken previously to connect the two countries, including the Delhi-Lahore (Sada-e-Sarhad) bus service and the Samjhautra Express train service.
Peace and amity between India and Pakistan will not become a reality till the violence unleashed from across the border comes to a stop, said Jakhar, calling for on-ground change in the situation for meaningful progress in promoting peaceful and friendly relations between the two countries. While the Kartparpur Corridor was a positive step in the right direction, it needed to be followed up by concrete measures by Pakistan to end the cycle of violence it had unleashed in India, by backing terrorist groups and allowing its armed forces to violate all principles of humanitarianism to kill and mutilate our soldiers.
