New Delhi: Navjot Singh Sidhu, criticized for his visit to Pakistan for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor and for effusively praising Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the event, was set up for more attacks today after his photo with pro-Khalistan activist Gopal Singh Chawla emerged online.
Chawla posted his photo with the Punjab minister on his Facebook page, fueling another round of barbs at Navjot Sidhu and his Pakistan outing. The BJP reacted sharply to Chawla’s photo with Sidhu.
“Such malicious tactics on Pakistani soil can not be ignored,” said Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The Minister also said that Sidhu should maintain distance in such meetings. Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was also seen greeting Chawla warmly on the sidelines of the function on Wednesday.
The four-km corridor will provide a road from Gurdaspur in Punjab to Kartarpur near the Pakistan border, to enable Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the famous Gurdwara where Guru Nanak spent his final years.
Imran Khan’s comments at the event on peace efforts and resolving the Kashmir issue have angered India. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur, who also attended the ceremony, took a swipe at Sidhu on his bonhomie with the Pakistani Prime Minister.
“He offered to have him (Navjot Singh Sidhu) fight elections from Pakistan. Sidhu seems to have more love and respect in Pakistan than what I noticed over here. He has some good relationships over there,” Badal told.
Chawla, who heads the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, recently provoked anger in India when he stopped Indian officials from visiting a Gurudwara in Lahore to meet Sikh pilgrims from India. His name cropped up during investigations into a grenade attack earlier this month at the Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar in which three were killed.