New Delhi: Ahead of the upcoming Punjab assembly elections 2022, Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Monday claimed that he received a call from Pakistan requesting that Navjot Singh Sidhu be reinstated in his cabinet since he was an old friend of Pakistan's Prime Minister.


Singh, who formed a new party after leaving the Congress and is running in the Punjab assembly elections in an alliance with the BJP, further stated that he was promised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan would be pleased if he helps retain Sidhu in the cabinet, PTI reported.






During a press conference at BJP headquarters, Singh said, "After I dropped Navjot Sidhu from my government, I got a message from Pakistan that he is an old friend of their prime minister and he would be grateful if you can keep him in the government. If he (Sidhu) doesn't work, then you can remove him."


Singh, who had removed Sidhu from the Punjab government during his stint as chief minister, has never had good connections with the cricketer-turned-politician and was opposed to installing him as the Congress party's Punjab unit president.


Notably, soon after resigning from the chief minister's post in September last year, Capt Amarinder had called the Punjab Congress Chief a "threat to national security", citing his friendshly relations with Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa.


On Sunday, the former chief minister attacked Sidhu, saying he has "no brains," adding that he told Congress President Sonia Gandhi five years ago not to incorporate "this useless man" into the party.


Punjab Legislative Assembly 2022 Updated Schedule


After multiple political parties from Punjab urged the Election Commission of India Punjab (ECI) to reschedule the single-phase state assembly election poll date in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti, ECI has accepted the demand.


Earlier this month after the meeting, ECI had announced that the votes in Punjab will be cast on February 20 instead of the earlier schedule of February 14.


Date of Notification: January 25, 2022 (Tuesday)


Last date of Nomination: February 1, 2022 (Tuesday)


Date of Scrutiny: February 2, 2022 (Wednesday)


Date of Withdrawal: February 4, 2022 (Friday)


Date of Poll: February 20, 2022 (Sunday).


Counting of Votes: March 10, 2022 (Thursday).


(With PTI & ANI inputs)