‘Will discuss with Pakistan’: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on need for passport to use Kartarpur Sahib corridor

Jaishankar was in Amritsar to accompany former US ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu as he filed his nomination as the BJP candidate from the Lok Sabha constituency on Friday. He later addressed a gathering at an art gallery during an interactive session on Friday evening.

Responding to the demand to abolish the need for a passport and a fee to visit the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, Jaishankar said, “The fee is imposed by Pakistan. Issues related to Kartarpur are not only in our hands. We need to have an agreement with Pakistan. We have abolished the requirement for a visa but one needs to have a passport to cross the border.”

In 2019, India and Pakistan had inaugurated a visa-free corridor to connect the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, 5 km inside Pakistan, with Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur.

Speaking about various “pressures at the international level”, Jaishankar also made a strong pitch for a government and MPs who can “strongly advance India’s interests in the world”.

“We were under pressure that we should not take oil from Russia. If we had bent to pressure, tell me, how much would the price of petrol have increased? At least Rs 20…,” he said.

“At the international level, there is competition. Sometimes, your friends also compete with you. There come pressures in such situations. You need bravery for Viksit Bharat. Now, the challenge from Pakistan is that of terrorism. China wants to pressurise over the border. There are some other countries putting pressure on us somewhere against our interests…,” Jaishankar said. “I would say that if we want to make a developed India, there should be such a government, there should be such a Prime Minister, and along with him, there should also be such MPs who are in favour of India, who can strongly advance India’s interests in the world,” he added.

Jaishankar said that the people of Amritsar were keen on opening a US consulate in the city. “So far, no party representative has made any demand regarding this matter. This is the first time that former ambassador and BJP candidate from Amritsar, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has made this demand. Now it remains to be seen if Amritsar supports Sandhu in elections,” Jaishankar said.

He also praised Sandhu, saying he was a capable individual who had served India as an ambassador and now wanted to serve Amritsar. “It is in your hands to give him the opportunity. The area representative should be someone whose voice is heard in Delhi. Sandhu is not only recognised in Delhi but also globally. People are ready to work with just one phone call from Sandhu,” Jaishankar said.

He further said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, he wanted justice for Sikhs. “The Congress had prepared a blacklist of many Sikhs. Against this injustice, PM Modi removed many names from the blacklist. Sandhu played a role in this,” Jaishankar said.

Sandhu is contesting against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, sitting Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Anil Joshi. Amritsar goes to polls on June 1.