‘A Good Beginning’: Manmohan Singh on Govt’s Kartarpur Decision

“There are many hurdles and one shouldn’t underestimate them. But any beginning is a good beginning,” Singh said.

Former PM Manmohan Singh.

(Photo: PTI)

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, 24 November, welcomed the building of the Kartarpur corridor, linking India's border district of Gurdaspur with the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.

Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments that the corridor will act as a bridge between the people of the two countries, Singh, however, cautioned that there were many hurdles to cross before it could be achieved.

“There are many hurdles and one should not underestimate those hurdles. But any beginning is a good beginning, I hope it is successful.”

Manmohan Singh to reporters

Singh made the comments on the sidelines of a conference titled "Towards Peace, Harmony and Happiness: Transition to Transformation", organised by the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation.

Singh, however, did not say what he thought the hurdles were.

On the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary on Friday, 23 November, Modi had said:

“Had anyone ever thought that the Berlin Wall would fall? Maybe, with the blessings of Guru Nanak Devji, the Kartarpur corridor will not just remain a corridor, but act as a bridge between the people of the two countries.”

PM Modi

Earlier, in a significant decision, the Union Cabinet had cleared a proposal on Thursday, 22 November, to develop a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district to the International Border to facilitate Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.

Pakistan on Saturday, 23 November, extended an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at Kartarpur on 28 November.