Kartarpur corridor receives a mixed reaction from opposition
PPP leader Faisal Meer says his party will always welcome peace with India
Sikh pilgrims look from Kartarpur Gurdwara Sahib after a groundbreaking ceremony for the Kartarpur Corridor in Kartarpur on November 28, 2018. - Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the groundbreaking ceremony of the religious corridor between India and Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP
LAHORE:
The opposition parties have termed the Kartarpur initiative as a good omen for regional peace but also bashed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for compromising the integrity of the state by desperately trying to improve ties with India and ignoring the atrocities in Kashmir.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said they were waiting for Imran Khan to talk about the atrocities faced by Kashmiris, the Indian-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan and Kalbushan Jadev. “Our prime minister was too scared to talk about them standing in his own country,” she remarked. “Why was our prime minister trying to belittle his own country by stating that Pakistan would move two paces in response to one step from India.” She said as to why Khan has adopted such a compromised approach. She said Imran Khan should have spoken like a prime minister. “Why he gave a statement that if Sidhu contest elections in Pakistan, he will win the polls.”
She said the most disconcerting aspect of the day was the statement of India foreign minister which did not reciprocate a goodwill gesture projected by Pakistan. She said the state narrative was completely missing from the PM’s speech.
Senator Mushahidullah Khan said the way India foreign minister has responded, it shows that no prior working was done by our foreign office. “How can Pakistan leap forward without negotiating the terms of reference and rules of procedure?”
He said where Indian response showed their reluctance to maintain peace, it also showed the incapability of the PTI-led government from understanding the diplomatic norms. “This also shows Pakistan is adopting a unilateral policy, which is bound to fail.”
He was of the view that the most important negative aspect of the entire episode was that Pakistan was getting nothing out of this initiative. there are negotiations there are negotiations “There are negotiations between the states from which both sides benefit,” he said. “Pakistan has got nothing out of it apart from embarrassment. We could have asked for peace in Kashmir.” However, he also said that on whole it was a good initiative, but PTI government, in haste to label the initiative as its own, forgot about everything else.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Faisal Meer said the opening of Kartarpur corridor was originally offered by Benazir Bhutto as prime minister in 1988. But India was not ready and showed cold shoulder as Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj reacted today. Bhutto also had to face criticism from inside the country and she was termed as a security threat.
He said his party had always welcomed peace with India, but Modi government had not shown the maturity expected of a country of its size and heft. India’s own people are driving this effort.
Reacting over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address at Kartarpur, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) Secretary General Liaqat Baloch said India had already turned down Pakistan’s offer for dialogue and it would continue to sabotage our efforts to improve bilateral ties. The JIP secretary-general said it was good that the opening of Kartarpur corridor would facilitate the Sikh pilgrims in reaching their religious places. However, he said, the issue was not merely of an additional corridor. He said India had been carrying out the genocide of the Kashmiris, demolishing their homes and mosques, besides continuing shelling across the Line of Control (LoC). He said it was unfortunate that the prime minister had not touched any of these issues in his speech.
Baloch said the core issue between Pakistan and India was of Kashmir and India has killed hundreds of innocent Kashmiris during the recent months but the Pakistan government was “begging for dialogue”. “The way Indian foreign minister had turned down our prime minister’s offer is a matter of humiliation for the country. The parliament is silent on the Kashmir issue for quite some time,” he remarked.
He said the political and religious parties had been demanding a permanent Kashmir policy to counter India’s obstinacy and treachery. He said India would not tolerate good gestures from our country nor would it like Sikhs to be happy over the facilities extended by Pakistan.
Baloch said the failures of the PTI government during its first one hundred days in providing any relief to the masses had left a bad impression on the public mind and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s defence of the U-turn had made the government a laughing stock.
The opposition parties have termed the Kartarpur initiative as a good omen for regional peace but also bashed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for compromising the integrity of the state by desperately trying to improve ties with India and ignoring the atrocities in Kashmir.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said they were waiting for Imran Khan to talk about the atrocities faced by Kashmiris, the Indian-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan and Kalbushan Jadev. “Our prime minister was too scared to talk about them standing in his own country,” she remarked. “Why was our prime minister trying to belittle his own country by stating that Pakistan would move two paces in response to one step from India.” She said as to why Khan has adopted such a compromised approach. She said Imran Khan should have spoken like a prime minister. “Why he gave a statement that if Sidhu contest elections in Pakistan, he will win the polls.”
She said the most disconcerting aspect of the day was the statement of India foreign minister which did not reciprocate a goodwill gesture projected by Pakistan. She said the state narrative was completely missing from the PM’s speech.
Senator Mushahidullah Khan said the way India foreign minister has responded, it shows that no prior working was done by our foreign office. “How can Pakistan leap forward without negotiating the terms of reference and rules of procedure?”
He said where Indian response showed their reluctance to maintain peace, it also showed the incapability of the PTI-led government from understanding the diplomatic norms. “This also shows Pakistan is adopting a unilateral policy, which is bound to fail.”
He was of the view that the most important negative aspect of the entire episode was that Pakistan was getting nothing out of this initiative. there are negotiations there are negotiations “There are negotiations between the states from which both sides benefit,” he said. “Pakistan has got nothing out of it apart from embarrassment. We could have asked for peace in Kashmir.” However, he also said that on whole it was a good initiative, but PTI government, in haste to label the initiative as its own, forgot about everything else.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Faisal Meer said the opening of Kartarpur corridor was originally offered by Benazir Bhutto as prime minister in 1988. But India was not ready and showed cold shoulder as Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj reacted today. Bhutto also had to face criticism from inside the country and she was termed as a security threat.
He said his party had always welcomed peace with India, but Modi government had not shown the maturity expected of a country of its size and heft. India’s own people are driving this effort.
Reacting over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address at Kartarpur, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) Secretary General Liaqat Baloch said India had already turned down Pakistan’s offer for dialogue and it would continue to sabotage our efforts to improve bilateral ties. The JIP secretary-general said it was good that the opening of Kartarpur corridor would facilitate the Sikh pilgrims in reaching their religious places. However, he said, the issue was not merely of an additional corridor. He said India had been carrying out the genocide of the Kashmiris, demolishing their homes and mosques, besides continuing shelling across the Line of Control (LoC). He said it was unfortunate that the prime minister had not touched any of these issues in his speech.
Baloch said the core issue between Pakistan and India was of Kashmir and India has killed hundreds of innocent Kashmiris during the recent months but the Pakistan government was “begging for dialogue”. “The way Indian foreign minister had turned down our prime minister’s offer is a matter of humiliation for the country. The parliament is silent on the Kashmir issue for quite some time,” he remarked.
He said the political and religious parties had been demanding a permanent Kashmir policy to counter India’s obstinacy and treachery. He said India would not tolerate good gestures from our country nor would it like Sikhs to be happy over the facilities extended by Pakistan.
Baloch said the failures of the PTI government during its first one hundred days in providing any relief to the masses had left a bad impression on the public mind and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s defence of the U-turn had made the government a laughing stock.