Kartarpur Sahib and Nankana Sahib should have been on Indian side: Hardeep Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said both Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib which are in Pakistan should have been included in India at the time of Partition like other gurdwaras associated with the life of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak. Puri, a prominent Sikh face of the BJP, said when the borders were drawn between Indian and Pakistan in 1947, those who were involved in this exercise should have applied their mind and assured that all gurdwaras linked to the life of Guru Nanak Dev be on the Indian side.

"...We are celebrating the 550th birth anniversary (of Guru Nanak) and if you look at the gurdawras associated with Guru Nanak Sahib which captured his life are now in Pakistan -- Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib... I do wish that someone at some stage had applied their mind...all this gurdwaras should have been on this side of the border," he said while speaking at an event here. Puri who won the Lok Sabha polls from the Amritsar seat made the remarks on the day when Pakistan said it will invite Manmohan Singh for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor, an offer which sources said the former prime minister was unlikely to accept.

Speaking at the launch of a coffee table book on Guru Nanak, Puri said he is making this statement "not to score any point but more out of a regret". The Kartarpur Sahib corridor is scheduled to open on November 9, days before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

It is being built by the two neighbouring countries in Pakistan's Kartarpur and connects to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab. The corridor aims at facilitating visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims who will just need a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib located across the Ravi river, about 4 km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.

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