India gives 550 VVIPs list for Kartarpur Corridor opening

ISLAMABAD: Former minister of Indian state Punjab and Congress leader cricketer Navjat Singh Sidhu isn’t part of the list of 550 Indian VVIPs who will visit shrine of Kartarpur Sahib on opening of the corridor on November 9 as the list has been handed over to Pakistan by the Indian authorities

The Indian VVIPs include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal among others.

Well placed sources told The News here Wednesday that Navjot Singh Sidhu is not part of Indian delegation as he has been specially invited by Prime Minister Imran Khan for the occasion.

The sources said that according to protocol any leader who will not be going as part of the delegation will require “political clearance” from the Indian central government. Indian Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh said on Wednesday that he has referred the letter of Navjat Singh Sidhu to the union government in New Delhi for granting NOC for his traveling to Pakistan for the opening ceremony but no reply has been received as yet.

Navjat parted ways with Amrinder government early this year when his portfolio was changed as state minister.

Meanwhile Indian media has reported that issues such as what will be considered a travel document have also come up as a stumbling block before both countries. Indian officials said Pakistan has still not confirmed whether it will consider the Indian passport as the main document to travel through the corridor.

According to the agreement, India has said that only the passport has to be considered as the travel document. “If they have some other demands, they will have to say it now. It is still not clear whether they will consider passport as the main document for traveling across the corridor. We have clearly said in the agreement that only passport has to be considered, else the agreement has to be amended,” said an Indian official.