Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in an interview with Times Now aired on Saturday said that he objected to his minister Navjot Singh Sidhu hugging Pakistan Army chief general Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on August 18. Captain Singh said that he does not agree with the “hugging business”.
Captain Amarinder Singh was talking exclusively to Times Now when he said that one does not go and hug the Pakistan Army chief when 200-300 Indian soldiers are dying every year.
The chief minister said, “Every year, at least 200-300 soldiers are either killed or wounded. And I think at that stage you do not go and hug the Pakistani chief of army staff who has given instruction...”
When asked whether Captain will take any action against Sidhu, he said, “What do you want me to do? Sack him for this? No, not at all.” He then explained that he had told Sidhu that his actions were not acceptable. “I did talk to him and told him. But it is difficult for a civilian to understand military mind because they don’t think anything wrong in it,” he said.
He said that Sidhu told him that the two (Sidhu and Bajwa) talked about the Kartarpur corridor, which has been one of the major issues to the Punjab government. Singh said that it is good if Sidhu talked about the Kartarpur corridor. The Punjab government has also written to the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj about the same and urged her to intervene in the matter.
Explaining himself further, the chief minister said, “It is a bilateral issue between two nations. You can't have a minister of Punjab and the chief of army staff deciding on this issue. I don't agree to the hugging business. He should have turned his back on Bajwa and walked away.”
“He must have taken permission to attend the swearing-in ceremony of a friend of his and sometimes all these little things help the countries. It also shows that Pakistan's prime minister has a close relation with him. And maybe Sidhu can be used to talk to talk to him. The general has told him that we are looking into Kartarpur issue,” he added.
https://www.timesnownews.com/india/...-bajwa-and-walked-away-amarinder-singh/275090
