Sidhu's hug to Pakistan Army chief impacted our soldiers, says Defence Minister

Punjab Minister and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu continued to face flak from BJP leaders for hugging Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad last month.

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. (PTI Photo

NEW DELHI: Punjab Minister and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu continued to face flak from BJP leaders for hugging Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad last month. The latest salvo was fired on Sidhu by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who said his gesture of hugging Pakistan's army chief impacted soldiers back home and asserted that he could have "avoided it". "Sidhu has a lot of admirers...somebody of that stature going there and then hugging the chief of the army, an army about which in India we have very clear feelings, it certainly has an impact on soldiers..., it demoralises the people. I wish Sidhu would have avoided it (hug)," Sidhu was quoted by PTI as saying during an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corp (IWPC). Sidhu had claimed that he hugged Bajwa as the army chief told him that the Pakistan government was working for opening of the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims from Indian state of Punjab. Meanwhile, Sidhu on Monday met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and urged her to help initiate dialogue with Pakistan on the opening up of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor. Describing the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara as Sikhs' "own Mecca", Sidhu said it is the responsibility of the Indian government to make a formal request for opening of the Kartarpur corridor. He said the Pakistan had already shown "positive intent" in this regard. "During the 15-minute meeting with the Union minister, I explained about the necessity of opening of the corridor," said Sidhu while talking to reporters here. "It is the responsibility of the Indian government to send a formal request for the opening of the corridor keeping in mind the sentiments of over 10 crore Sikhs, Punjabi and Sindhi community," he said. Sidhu claimed that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had already held a meeting with all stakeholders on this issue and his minister Fawad Chaudhary had also stated that Pakistan was willing to open the corridor and was waiting for India's formal affirmation in this regard. "She (Swaraj) heard me and told me that a draft is being prepared and she will write a letter to Pakistan government," claimed Sidhu. "The place (Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara) is located there (in Pakistan) and we want to go there (to pay obeisance). So we need to initiate talks and a formal request (for opening of passage) should go from our side," said Sidhu. (With inputs from PTI)