Sidhu hugs Pak army chief, kicks up a storm back home

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 18

Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday met and hugged Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan in Islamabad.

Sidhu, who was wearing a dark blue suit and a pink turban, was seen seated next to President of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) Masood Khan at the swearing-in ceremony.

The Pakistan government instead of seating Sidhu with other foreign dignitaries, positioned him next to Masood Khan in Aiwan-e-Sadr Hall of President's House.

Read: Haryana minister Vij attacks Sidhu for attending Imran Khan's swearing-in

“A new morning is here in Pakistan with a new government which can change the destiny of the country,” said Sidhu, a minister in the Congress government in Punjab.

He hoped that Khan’s victory will be good for the Pakistan-India peace process.

Earlier, Sidhu and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa were spotted hugging each other at the President House prior to the ceremony.

Before entering the President House, Sidhu said: "People like Khan sahab (Imran Khan) create history. With this invitation, they have honoured me. People who build relationships are respected, people who break them are disrespected and I am one of those who respect relationships. It's a new dawn. This government has come to change this country's perception, picture and destiny, with high hopes and expectations".

The storm back home

Sidhu’s hug has earned him sharp rebuke from his former party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which called it a “heinous crime”.

“Navjot Sidhu and Congress party have committed a serious crime. He hugged Pakistan Army Chief Bajwa, a man responsible for terrorism in India, killing hundreds of innocent Indian civilians and Army men and then sat next to so-called PoK president Masood Khan. The kind of vote of thanks he gave later, does it justify his position as an Indian minister and send the right message to the people across the country he represents,” questioned BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.

“Sidhu is not an individual but a representative of the government. What he has done today is no simple crime. He should’ve refused to sit next to Masood Khan, who was deliberately brought in front where Sidhu was sitting. Sidhu should have refused to sit with him. He should have said I will not sit next to him,” Patra said.