‘Googly’ Or Self Goal? Pakistan PM Tries Damage Control After His Minister Says Kartarpur Opening Was A ‘Trap’ For India

The recent move by Pakistan to open the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh devotees was hailed as a historic move. However, the comment by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that the Kartarpur Corridor was a “googly” bowled by Imran Khan against India has led to a further plunge in already-sour relations between the two nations.

External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj had shot back at the Pakistan Foreign Minister by saying his comment had exposed his insensitivity towards Sikh pilgrims. She also clarified that talks between India and Pakistan were not linked to the Kartarpur Corridor.

“Let me explain to you that we were not trapped by your 'googlies'. Our two Sikh Ministers went to Kartarpur Sahib to offer prayers in the Holy Gurudwara,” Swaraj wrote in a tweet.

The spat finally reached a point where the Pakistan PM had to clarify his minister’s remarks. He has said that the decision was not a googly but a “straightforward decision”, Indian Express has reported.

“The Kartarpur corridor opening was not a googly or a double game but a straightforward decision,” the Pakistan Prime Minister told Geo News.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims. Dera Baba Nanak is the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev.