CM Amarinder Singh questions Pak's intent behind Kartarpur Corridor

Chandigarh [India], Mar 16 (ANI): Questioning Pakistan’s intention behind opening the Kartarpur Corridor, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday said that Pakistan’s agenda was nefarious, political, and aimed at exploiting the sentiments of the Sikh community.
“Corridor, which was a matter of devotion for the Sikhs, there was a need to exercise caution. Pakistan is doing it with a different intent, which is not at all aimed at promoting peace,” the chief minister said underlining the need to keep a close watch on the Corridor.
“India’s agenda is religious but theirs (Pakistan) is totally disruptive,” he added.
The chief minister further said, “While Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan talks of peace, their Army Chief General Bajwa continues to promote his evil designs.”
“The number of ISI-backed terror modules busted in Punjab in recent months indicated their true intent. The grenades used in Maqsudan and Pathankot attacks were of Pakistan origin,” he added.
Reiterating his demand for 'khule darshan’ at the Kartarpur gurudwara, the Chief Minister said the number of devotees proposed by Islamabad to be allowed to pass the Corridor was not at all sufficient.
“We disagree with some of the things Pakistan has recommended. First, we said 15,000 people should go. Secondly, we said you can't have passports. Why have a corridor if you want passports? The very fact that you have a corridor indicates it should have free access,” he said.
When asked if the recent air strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) would benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the ensuing elections, Amarinder said, “Any government of the day, including the Congress, would have retaliated after the Pulwama attack. The government just did its job, which Congress governments had done in the past too.”
“The Modi government had simply coined a new phrase – surgical strikes – for such action,” he added.
Hitting out at BJP for politicization of the armed forces, the chief minister said, “Jawans and officers are dying every day. The Congress never politicized the 1965 or the 1971 wars. We have always put the nation above political interests.” (ANI)