Dubbing the construction of Kartarpur corridor as a "dangerous move," senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday said that the people from Pakistan should not be allowed to come to India through this passage.
Speaking to ANI, Swamy said that the Central government's decision can be misused as there is no proper checking procedure at the corridor and thus anyone can get a fake passport for Rs 250 in Chandni Chowk and come to India.
"Kartarpur corridor is a dangerous move. It can be misused as there is no proper checking procedure, just showing passport is not enough. You can get a passport in Chandni Chowk for Rs 250. People should register six months in advance, and we should not allow people from Pakistan to come here," he added.
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On Sunday also Swamy had backed Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's decision to decline the invitation to attend the foundation-laying ceremony of Kartarpur corridor on Pakistan side. "No Indian minister should go to the other side of the border until Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism," he said.
"I don't think any Indian minister should go to attend any kind of event in Pakistan. They are also preventing our diplomats from accompanying the people to religious places. Until Pakistan stops sponsoring cross-border terrorism, we should not allow anyone to go there for any kind of event," Swamy had added.
The Punjab Chief Minister has declined to visit Pakistan as of now due to its support to terrorist groups, Singh said he will accompany the first jatha to Kartarpur via the corridor next year.
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The decision to build the corridor — from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the International Border — was taken by the Union Cabinet on November 22. Pakistan is to build the corridor on their side and its ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday.
The proposal to open the passage for Sikh pilgrims comes at a time when India-Pakistan ties have nosedived and all bilateral engagements postponed following a number of terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups since 2016, including on Pathankot Air Force Station.
On November 18, two men on a motorbike hurled a hand grenade on a religious congregation at Nirankari Bhavan in Amritsar, which killed three people and injured more than 20.
The Punjab chief minister Singh has blamed terrorist groups backed by Pakistan's spy agency ISI for the attack.
At the foundation stone-laying ceremony here, Singh suggested that there should be no visa for pilgrims travelling via the corridor to visit the historic gurdwara in Pakistan.
(Agencies)
