Sidhu says returned loaded with love and warmth

AMRITSAR: Indian cricket star and tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday returned from Pakistan after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad.

The visit evoked angry reactions from hardliners in India. On his return to India, Sidhu said Imran Khan had intended to improve ties between India and Pakistan and has pledged to take two steps if India takes one.

“Now the need is to take that one step convincingly. The decisions are made at the government level. I was just an invitee in my personal capacity, but I have retuned loaded with love and warmth,” he said.

Some in India were offended over his preference of attending Khan’s oath-taking ceremony over the last rites of his “political mentor” and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He also drew flak for hugging Pakistan’s Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and sharing seat next to Azad Kashmir President Masood Khan.

Clarifying his stance, Sidhu said: “When the General walked down to greet me, a brief conversation started on a lighter note. He said to me, ‘Navjot, we want peace’. Then on his own, he cited a proposal to open the corridor leading to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib on the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. It is a four-decade-long demand. How could have I reacted to it in a better way other than giving him a hug,” he said.