Chandigarh, November 2: Senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday wrote letters to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, seeking permission to visit Pakistan on November 9 for the opening of Kartarpur corridor. Sidhu, who is the legislator from Amritsar East in the Punjab assembly, has appealed Jaishankar and Capt Amarinder to grant him the approval. Kartarpur Corridor: No Passport And Advance Registration Required For Indian Sikhs Visiting Pakistan, Says Imran Khan.

In the letter sent to Amarinder and Jaishankar, Sidhu has mentioned that he has been invited by the government of Pakistan for the historic Kartarpur corridor opening ceremony. The former Punjab cabinet minister has sought permission as a "humble Sikh", adding that his visit is aimed at only paying respect to Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.

"As a humble Sikh, it shall be a great honour to pay obeisance to our Great Baba Nanak on this historic occasion and connect to our roots," Sidhu said, adding, "Therefore I may be permitted to visit Pakistan on this auspicious occasion."

Letter Sent by Sidhu:

The Kartarpur corridor is set to be opened up by the Pakistan government on November 9, three days before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Scores of Sikh pilgrims would be using the route to travel to Kartarpur Sahib, which houses the final resting place of the first Sikh guru.

Sidhu, who shares bonhomie with Pakistan Prime Minister and his erstwhile cricket contemporary Imran Khan, had visited the neighbouring nation last year as well, when Islamabad has initiated the construction of the corridor. On the occasion, Sidhu had credited Khan of fulfilling a seven-decade old demand of the Sikh community.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2019 03:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).