As Pak Army chief goes on anti-india rant, Smriti Irani questions Rahul Gandhi's silence on Sidhu hug

A speech given by Pakistan Army Chief where he went ballistic against India has landed Navjot Sidhu in fresh trouble. Even as Sidhu praised Pakistan for opening up Katarpur Sahib route, BJP questioned his love for neighbouring country in front of all hostility. Senior BJP leader Smriti Irani has gone one step forward and questioned Rahul Gandhi's silence in the entire matter. 

Raking up the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa has reaffirmed Islamabad's support for "self-determination" in Jammu and Kashmir. He also said the Pakistan Army learnt a lot from the 1965 and 1971 wars with India and has made the country's defence impregnable by developing nuclear weapons. 

Addressing the Defence and Martyrs Day ceremony organised at the Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi on Thursday, attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Bajwa said Pakistan supported the people in Jammu and Kashmir in their "struggle for the right to self-determination". Pakistan observes September 6 as the Defence and Martyrs Day to mark the anniversary of the 1965 war with India.

"We have learned a lot from the wars of 65 and 71. We were able to further strengthen our defence forces in the wake of these wars. Despite difficult economic times, we were able to become an atomic power," Bajwa said. "September 6, 1965, is an important day in the history of our nation," he said, adding that Pakistani soldiers jumped into the fiery pits of warfare but did not let the country be harmed. 

"The bravery shown by our nation during the 1965 war serves as an important lesson and an inspiration to our youth even today," he said. Prime Minister Khan, in his address, said Pakistan will never fight any other country's war in future and his government's foreign policy will be in the best interest of the nation. "We will not become part of a war of any other country (in future)...Our foreign policy will be in the best interest of the nation," he said, apparently referring to the country's involvement in neighbouring Afghanistan. 

Reacting to Bajwa's comments, Union Minister Smriti Irani was quoted by ANI as saying, "  Congress chief kept mum on Sidhu sahab’s trip to Pakistan. Now what will Congress Chief say after Sidhu has returned from Pakistan & Pakistan speaking against India". 

Doubling down on Rahul Gandhi, Irani said, " Congress chief's silence is understandable,as on one side there is Sidhu who goes&hugs Pakistan Army General who is speaking against India&on other hand, it is Mani Shankar Aiyar whose candidature cancellation during Gujarat polls was just an eyewash". 

Sidhu landed into controversy after he hugged Pak Army chief Bajwa during the Imran Khan oath taking ceremony. Even Captain Amarinder Singh criticised his state cabinet colleague. However, Rahul Gandhi hasn't said anything about it so far. Haryana Minister Anil Vij too has accused Sidhu of speaking in Pakistan's voice and this matter is likely to snowball in coming days. 

With agency inputs