Daily Times

NAROWAL: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday said that Kartarpur Corridor initiative is a ‘step towards peace’ which our region needs.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Asif Ghafoor in his tweet quoted Qamar Javed Bajwa as “It’s a step towards peace which our region needs. Barbed wire at borders is measure by a sovereign state to check / deny illegal crossings. Corridors & Gates are for legal peaceful visitors. So is the case for all our neibghors.”

The DG-ISPR said Indian media is taking a narrow-minded view by selectively showing Gopal Chawla meeting with General Bajwa.

He said the Army Chief met all guests at the venue irrespective of identity. A peace initiative should not be subjected to propaganda, he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan laid foundation stone of Kartarpur corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur area of Narowal distric with Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur India.

Former Indian cricketer and current Indian Punjab Minister of Local Government, Tourism, Cultural Affairs, and Museums Navjot Singh Sidhu, Indian Minister for Food Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Minister for Housing Hardeep S Puri, Indian journalists, foreign diplomats and a large number of Sikh yatris both local attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony Prime Minister Imran Khan appraised Indian ministers delegations and Sikh yatries for attending the ceremony.

The PM in his address said “Today I want to welcome our guests, our Sikh brothers and sisters who have come from all around the world.”

“Today, the happiness I witnessed on the faces of the Sikh community just like as Muslims feel when they go to Medina,” the PM stated.