Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday came to the defence of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu after he faced severe backlash and criticism back home for hugging Pakistan’s Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa and sharing the stage with the president of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) during his swearing-in ceremony.
“Sidhu was an ambassador of peace and was given amazing love and affection by people of Pakistan. Those in India who targeted him are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent – without peace, our people can’t progress,” Khan tweeted.
Following the oath-taking ceremony on Saturday, Sidhu came under fierce attack from non-Congress parties in Punjab and was even ticked off by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh himself. Reacting to the criticisms, Sidhu said his visit to the neighbouring country should not be seen through a political lens and he went there on the invitation of his friend Imran Khan.
In his victory speech on July 26, the World Cup-winning captain had said his government would like leaders of the two sides to resolve all disputes, including the “core issue” of Kashmir, through talks. “If India takes one step, Pakistan will take two,” he had said.
