Hug with Pakistan Army Chief lasted for a second, wasn't Rafale Deal: Navjot Singh Sidhu in Lahore

In Lahore to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kartarpur corridor, Congress leader and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu hailed the prospect of peace between the two neighbours while also defending his hug with Pakistan Army Chief during his previous visit here.

Asked by Pakistani journalists about the much-talked-about hug with Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during his previous visit, Sidhu said that the embrace lasted hardly for a second. 

"The hug (with Pakistan Army Chief) was for hardly a second, it was not a Rafale Deal. When two Punjabis meet they hug each other, its normal practice in Punjab," he said.

Hailing the Kartarpur corridor, the actor-turned-politician in Lahore also said that it would open up infinite possibilities of peace and prosperity for both India and Pakistan, ending the bloodshed.

Sidhu has been invited by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on behalf of the neighbouring countries' Prime Minister Imran Khan. This is Sidhu's second visit to Pakistan this year.

PM Imran Khan will inaugurate the opening ceremony of the facilities at the crossing on the Pakistan side on November 28. Kartarpur corridor promises to help Sikh pilgrims from India offer prayers at the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of Ravi river in Pakistan.

The issue of Kartarpur Sahib came into focus after Sidhu visited Pakistan in August to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan as the Prime Minister. During his visit, he was seen hugging Pakistan Army chief Bajwa, leading to a massive controversy. At the time, Sidhu had defended himself by saying that the Pakistan Army chief had told him about the opening of a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib, which led to the hug.

Last week, the Indian government said it will develop and build the corridor from Punjab's Gurdaspur district to the International Border to facilitate Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur.