Promised Pakistan I'll come: Navjot Singh Sidhu on 'objections' from Punjab CM

Punjab minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday gave a clarification on his recent visit to Pakistan even after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had objected to his visit. Sidhu had on Wednesday visited Pakistan for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

In a statement to news agency ANI, Sidhu reiterated that he had to go to Pakistan as he had already promised them and said he had informed the Punjab chief minister. He also pointed out that the central leadership and atleast 20 Congress leaders had asked him to go to Pakistan. 

"Atleast 20 Congress leaders asked me to go, Central leadership asked me to go. Punjab Chief Minister is like my father, I told him that I had already promised them (Pakistan) that I will go," said Sidhu.

Amarinder Singh had declined the invite sent to him for the event by Pakistan and maintained that Sidhu had gone to Pakistan in a personal capacity. According to some media reports, he had even advised Sidhu to re-think his plans of attending the event.

Sidhu returned home on Thursday after attending the groundbreaking ceremony for a visa-free corridor which will allow Sikh pilgrims access from Gurdaspur's Dera Baba Nanak to the shrine in Kartarpur, where Guru Nanak Dev spent his final years. He had come under fire for being photographed with "pro-Khalistan" leader Gopal Singh Chawla in Pakistan. The Congress leader also received flak for attending the ceremony in his personal capacity. Chawla was also seen shaking hands with Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Kartarpur ceremony. 

Speaking on his August visit to the neighbouring country when he had said that Pakistan promised Kartarpur Corridor, Sidhu accused his critics of mocking me. He said, "When I first went to Pakistan and talked about them promising Kartarpur Corridor, the critics mocked and made fun of me, now the same people are licking their own spit and taking u-turns."

In August, Sidhu was in Pakistan to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan. The Congress leader was clicked giving a warm hug to the neighbouring country's General Bajwa ahead of the oath-taking ceremony.

"General Bajwa Sahab hugged me and said, 'We want peace'. General Bajwa came to me and said we were thinking of opening Kartarpur route on 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev," said Sidhu. He was received by General Bajwa and other top officials at the President House. The two exchanged pleasantries and were seen chatting happily before the start of the event. Sidhu was spotted sitting next to President of Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) Masood Khan in the front row.