Sushma Swaraj Won't Attend Kartarpur Corridor Opening in Pakistan, Nominates Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri
Sushma Swaraj cited her inability to attend the event saying that she has 'prior commitments' related to election campaigning in Telangana.
New Delhi, November 25: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday invited External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to be a part of the groundbreaking ceremony at Kartarpur on November 28. The event will also be attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had invoked the fall of the Berlin Wall, in an event to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The Prime Minister said that the corridor could prove to be a game-changer for the relations between India and Pakistan. Kartarpur Corridor: PM Narendra Modi Invokes Berlin Wall, Says Diplomatic Move Can Connect People Together.
However, Sushma Swaraj cited her inability to attend the event saying that she has “prior commitments” related to election campaigning in Telangana. Swaraj instead nominated her Cabinet colleagues, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri, asking her colleagues to attend the ceremony as government’s representatives.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi had extended his invitation on Twitter saying “On behalf of Pakistan, I have extended an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj @SushmaSwaraj, Capt Amarinder Singh @capt_amarinder & Navjot Singh Sidhu @sherryontopp to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at #Kartarpura on 28 Nov, 2018. #PakistanKartarpuraSpirit”.
Swaraj replied in her tweet, “I thank HE Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Foreign Minister of Pakistan for inviting me to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor on the Pakistan side of the International boundary on 28 November 2018… Since I am unable to travel to Kartarpur Sahib on the scheduled date, Government of India will be represented by my esteemed colleagues Mrs.Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Mr.H.S.Puri.”
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2018 09:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).