Sidhu thanks 'friend' Imran for Kartarpur corridor announcement
Chandigarh, Sep 7: Defending his earlier stand on the opening of Kartarpur corridor by Pakistan, Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday thanked his "friend" Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for enabling the opening of the religious corridor.
The Kartarpur corridor will allow pilgrims from India to go to a gurdwara in Pakistan, close to the India-Pakistan border, which is associated with Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
"Ajj meri zindagi safal ho gayi (Today, I have succeeded in life)," a visibly charged Sidhu told the media here on Friday, claiming that PM Imran Khan had lived up to his promise of opening the religiously crucial corridor.
Sidhu even claimed that the Pakistan government had invited the government of India for talks on the Kartarpur corridor issue.
"See what my friend has done. I thank you Khan Saab (Imran Khan) a million times for doing this," Sidhu said, adding that things happened with the blessings of Guru Nanak.
Sidhu took a dig at those, meaning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which criticized him for his statements earlier on the issue and the hug that he gave to Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa during the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan as Pakistan's Prime Minister in Islamabad last month.
Cricketer-turned-politician was under fire from the BJP leadership for his hug with General Bajwa.
Sidhu said that the Pakistan government has stated that Indian pilgrims will be allowed to visit the Sikh shrine through the Kartarpur corridor without visa.
It was at the Kartarpur gurdwara, which is located around four km from the India-Pakistan international border and right opposite the border belt in Dera Baba Nanak in India's Punjab's Gurdaspur district, that Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life till he died in 1539.
The gurdwara, which fell in the Pakistan territory following the partition of India in August 1947, has big significance for Sikh religion and history.
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BJP councillor dies by suicide after being threatened by youths following party's bypoll win
Agartala (PTI): A BJP councillor of Dharmanagar Municipal Council (DMC) in North Tripura died by suicide on Tuesday after he was allegedly threatened and humiliated by a group of youth following the saffron party's victory in the Dharmanagar bypoll, police said.
Rahul Kishore Roy, who was also the BJP's Yuva Morcha mandal president, took the extreme step a day after BJP candidate Jahar Chakraborti won the bypoll for the Dharmagar Assembly constituency by a massive margin.
Chief Minister Manik Saha expressed shock over the youth leader's death and assured an impartial inquiry into the allegations brought by the deceased’s wife, Ananya Bhattacharjee.
"I am shocked by the untimely death of Rahul Kishore Roy. May his soul rest in peace, and also offer my sympathy to the bereaved family. I also assured that an impartial inquiry will be conducted following the complaint of the deceased's wife", the CM wrote on Facebook.
Roy's wife has lodged a complaint with the local police station, holding seven persons responsible for her husband's death.
"Soon after the announcement of the results of the bypoll to the Dharmagnar Assembly bypoll, six to seven youths attacked our residence at Chandrapur at 3 pm and started hurling abuses at my husband. They also assaulted me to hand over my husband to them," she stated in the complaint.
Ananya said, "The same gang returned late at night again, attacked our house and hurled two or three bombs. They also threatened to eliminate my husband whenever he is found at Dharmanagar."
Deeply upset by the attacks and threats, my husband committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling early Tuesday morning. I urge the Officer in Charge (OC), Dharmanagar police station, to investigate against these people for justice, she said.
"Based on a specific complaint, we have registered a case, and an investigation is underway. No one has been arrested yet," SP, North Tripura, Avinash Kumar Rai said.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
