On the day India reminisced the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, wherein 166 people were killed by 10 Pakistani terrorists, the Congress Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, once again brandishing his admiration for Pakistan, called the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan a ‘Farishta’ (angel).
While yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh declined Pakistan’s invitation for Kartarpur corridor foundation stone laying ceremony citing continued terror attacks in Punjab, his minister Navjot Singh Siddhu not only accepted the invitation but also called Imran Khan an angel. He also went on to say that the “real credit” for initiation of the Kartarpur corridor goes to the Pakistan PM.
“The real credit for the corridor goes to Imran Khan, and also to the people, who prayed for several years for its construction,” Sidhu told News18. Further heaping praises on Khan, Sidhu said, “This man has struggled for 24 years from one seat to the chair of Pakistan prime minister.”
While Sidhu thanked the Indian Government for its initiative he went on to applaud the Pakistani government giving them the “real credit”.
India and Pakistan announced on Thursday that they will build a corridor on their respective sides to let Sikh pilgrims visit the iconic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on the banks of the river Ravi in the neighbouring country.
The plan to build a corridor on the Indian side leading to the border near the gurdwara was among a slew of proposals cleared during a Cabinet meeting to mark Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary in 2019.
While Sidhu was busy applauding Pakistan, the Sikhs in America have hailed the Indian government’s decision to build a religious corridor linking border district of Gurdaspur with historic Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara in Pakistan.
Earlier too the Congress minister of tourism and cultural affairs in Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu had bagged a lot of criticism when he, disregarding the Indian sentiments had gone and attended the oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan. Though Sidhu’s controversial hug to the Pakistan Army Chief had created a tremendous uproar, the consternation left him unfazed. He even promised to throw in a kiss next time if the corridor was opened.
Justifying his acts, Sidhu was also quick to grab the opportunity to credit the Kartarpur corridor development to this controversial hug. Though the Pakistan government had earlier discredited his claim.
It is worthy to note here that Imran Khan has been a terror apologist and had been sympathetic to the Taliban in the past. Pakistan has been long known to help spread terrorism in India and kills hundreds of Indians every year. While India remembers the 26/11 Mumbai attacks with pain, Pakistan has not only been aiding terrorists to wage war against India, the Imran Khan government has now allowed the sanctions against UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed to lapse. Saeed is considered the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks.
Congress’ fondness for Pakistan has many a time laid exposed. Congress ministers on many occasions in the past have praised Pakistan. Pakistanis have also on one occasion reverted back by praising Congress President Rahul Gandhi for slamming PM Modi.
Not to forget how senior Congress leader, Mani Shankar Aiyar while expressing his love for Pakistan, had blamed India for stopping the dialogue between the two nations. He also went on to say in an interview that to start a dialogue between to nations, Prime Minister Modi needs to be removed from his post. He said, “Pakistan ke saath acche rishte banane hain toh inhe (Modi government) hataiye, humko leke aiye”. Moreover, in February 2012 Mani Shankar Aiyer had gone on to refer Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Sahid as ‘Saahab’.
Former Union Minister of External Affairs, Salman Khurshid, too, on his visit to Pakistan, had hailed Pakistan as a democratic country and slammed Modi government.
Congress veteran leader P Chidambaram, last year created a stir by reiterating Pakistan’s stance by backing greater autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir. He had in 2016, also raised serious doubts over the degree of involvement of the hanged Pakistani terrorist, Afzal Guru, in the 2001 Parliament attacks.
Recently, Congress was found promoting a ‘Modi hatao desh bachao’ ad on Facebook in Pakistan. When Congress was called out on the same, the party decided to blatantly lie after quietly deleting the post.
Congress’ crush over Pakistan was further uncovered last year when Congress after an initial denial, accepted Modi’s direct allegation that a secret meeting took place involving certain Pakistani and Congresspeople, during the height of the Gujarat elections.
What is actually interesting here is that even though Pakistan PM Imran Khan called the Prime Minister of India ‘a small man in big office’, Congress minister Sidhu is head over heels praising the Pakistani PM with words like ‘an angel’.
