Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is in Pakistan for the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Saturday said that it is about time the Indian government should take a step ahead to establish peace with Islamabad.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, Sidhu said, "It is our duty that we go back and ask our governments to take a step ahead. I hope that if we take one step forward, people here will take two steps forward."
Speaking about his hug with Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Congress leader said, "General Bajwa Sahab hugged me and said that it is time for peace. It is my dream as well. Today morning he came up to me and told me that the Pakistan government is thinking of opening a route in Katarpur to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev."
Earlier today, Sidhu attended the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan at the President House. He visited Pakistan after Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) invited him to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
On Thursday, before leaving for Pakistan, Sidhu said that he was going to the other side of the border as a "goodwill ambassador".
"These moments of democratic change in Pakistan are very important. I feel lucky that Imran Khan, being a friend, invited me. It is an honour for me. I am going to Pakistan as a goodwill ambassador. I am going there with the hope that relations between our two nations will improve," Sidhu told media at the Attari-Wagah border.
Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Jammu and Kashmir’s Congress chief said that Sidhu ought to have avoided sitting next to the PoK president. He was quoted saying by ANI: “He is a responsible person and a minister. Only he can answer, but yes he could have avoided this.”
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra wondered if Sidhu had taken permission from the Congress party before deciding to attend Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony and lambasted him for hugging the Pak Army Chief Bajwa.
Meanwhile, Haryana Minister Anil Vij termed Sidhu's participation in the ceremony as an "act of disloyalty" towards India which "will not be endorsed by any patriotic citizen" of the country.
On Saturday, political parties including the BJP and Congress criticised Congress MP and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for hugging the Pak Army chief and sitting next to PoK president Masood Khan at Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony.
Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Jammu and Kashmir’s Congress chief said that Sidhu ought to have avoided sitting next to the PoK president. He was quoted saying by ANI: “He is a responsible person and a minister. Only he can answer, but yes he could have avoided this.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party over its party leader Navjot Singh Sidhu's Pakistan visit and said that his visit was "no less than a crime".
Addressing a press briefing, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, 'It is no less than a crime that a Congress member and cabinet minister in Punjab government went to Pakistan for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan and acted in a certain way."
Patra also cornered Sidhu for hugging Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and sitting next to President of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) Masood Khan.
'Navjot Singh Sidhu is not just an individual but also a member of a political party and a cabinet minister in the Punjab government. The Congress needs to answer some serious questions in this regard. As per the protocol,
Sidhu was not going to sit with PoK President. Initially, Masood Khan was sitting at the back but was later brought to the front and made to sit with Sidhu. Navjot must have known that this man is the alleged President of PoK. He should have objected from sitting next to him," Patra added.
On the Sidhu-Bajwa hug, Patra said, 'Hugging General Bajwa is a bigger crime. General is known for the fact that his intervention has caused multiple deaths of innocents in India."
Recalling statements made by some other Congress leaders in the past, the spokesperson said, 'Salman Khurshid, one of the former minister and diplomat went to Pakistan on 13th November 2015 and said that Pakistan is working towards peace whereas India is hindering the process. On 17th November, Mani Shankar Aiyar gave an interview in Pakistan and asked for bringing down the Modi government. On 21st June 2018, Ghulam Nabi Azad also made a similar controversial statement by claiming that, 'when Indian army tries to kill terrorists, it hardly kills one terrorist and eliminates 20 civilians'."
Patra also demanded Congress President Rahul Gandhi's stance on Sidhu's visit and asked him whether the Punjab cabinet minister would be sacked before his return to India. 'We demand Rahul Gandhi to answer whether he granted permission to Navjot Sidhu to go to Pakistan or not'' Patra asked.
Earlier today, Sidhu attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad and later addressed the media.
With inputs from agencies
