People in India who are targeting Sidhu are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent, said Imran Khan.
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday came out in support of Navjot Singh Sidhu who is embroiled in a controversy after attending his oath-taking ceremony, saying those who are criticising the Punjab minister are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent.
Sidhu had attended the event in Pakistan on August 18. He was slammed by the Opposition and earned displeasure even from his own chief minister Amarinder Singh over his decision to visit Pakistan and hug its Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The former cricketer today held a press conference in Chandigarh to defend his decision.
“I want to thank Sidhu for coming to Pakistan for my oath taking. He was an ambassador of peace and was given amazing love and affection by people of Pakistan,” Khan tweeted soon after Sidhu’s press conference.
“Those in India who targeted him are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent – without peace, our people cannot progress,” Khan said.
To move forward, Khan said Pakistan and India must engage in dialogue and resolve their conflicts, including the Kashmir issue.
“The best way to alleviate poverty and uplift the people of the subcontinent is to resolve our differences through dialogue and start trading,” he said.
Sidhu during the press conference said his visit to Pakistan was not “political” but just on a “warm invitation from a friend”.-PTI
1. I am glad to know that newly elected Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan wishes to establish good relations India. 2. Question is this: can there be a dialogue with Pakistan considering Pakistan’s obsession with the Kashmir issue? 2. Is it not a fact that since 1948 Pakistan has made several (failed) attempts to wrest Kashmir from India? If PM of Pakistan wishes to have cordial relations with India, he must be ready to acknowledge that Kashmir is and will be part of Indian Union and that the issues related to Kashmir are India’s internal matters. 3. As a corollary to Pakistani PM’s acceptance of reality about Kashmir, he has to take steps to eliminate Pakistan based terror. It is an open secret that terrorist organisations like LeT, JeM, and Pakistani Taliban operate freely from Pakistan and they are widely used to create disturbances in the Kashmir valley. Pakistan government provides full immunity to such terror groups. Hence, PM of Pakistan must eliminate Pakistan funded terror.