Non-Sikh-led body takes charge of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Corridor in Pakistan

New Delhi: Much to the ire of Sikh religious leadership, the Pakistan government has finally given the complete authority of administration of inside and outside of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartapur Sahib, to a non-Sikh lead management body - Project Management Unit (PMU)- Kartarpur Corridor - even as it had earlier outsourced the management of the outside of the Sikh religious place to a private company.

Aamir Hashmi, spokesperson of Pakistan government’s Evacuee Trust Property Board informed that PMU, Kartarpur Corridor, has physically assumed the responsibilities of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib corridor adding that physical handing and taking over of almost 99% inventories had been completed.  Earlier, he informed that a private company Global Noble used to manage the outside of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib while the management of the inside of the shrine was in the hands of Evacuee Trust Property Board.

The final notification of handing over the charge of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib Corridor was issued yesterday (November 1).

Notably, the Pakistan government had in November 2019 given its sanction for the establishment of PMU, Kartarpur Corridor, and a few days later a 9-member team led by Tariq Khan was constituted. Later, in July 2020 the Pakistan government advertised for the appointment of 126 member staff of PMU, Kartapur Corridor including its CEO and in September 2020 a retired army official Mohammad Latif was appointed as CEO of the PMU, Kartapur Corridor replacing Tariq Khan.

Not only did the Sikh bodies object to the appointment of a non-Sikh on the top post of a body entrusted with the task of the day-to-day management of Sikh’s significant shrine but the Indian government has also lodged its protest with Pakistan.

Intelligence sources here are of the view that handing over the charge of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Corridor to a former Pakistan army officer would not only enable Pak’s ISI which is obsessed with terror to have direct access to the religious affairs of Sikhs but more significantly, it will keep an eye on ‘soft targets’ to motivate them with its false propaganda in a bid to restart the nearly eradicated Khalistan movement in India.