Navjot Singh Sidhu, a minister in India’s Congress-led government in Punjab, is under attack for hugging the Pakistan Army Chief, by the BJP and Akali Dal leaders.
An Indian lawyer has filed a case against cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu for insulting Indian Army by hugging the Pakistan Army Chief at the swearing-in of Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
During a press conference earlier in August, Sidhu had clearly highlighted that the invitation extended to him was in personal capacity.
Prior to attending Khan’s oath-taking ceremony, Sidhu on Friday said that he sees himself as “a goodwill ambassador of India.”
Before entering the President House on Saturday 18th August, Sidhu said: “People like Khan Sahab (Imran Khan) create history. With this invitation, they have honoured me. People who build relationships are respected, people who break them are disrespected and I am one of those who respect relationships. It’s a new dawn. This government has come to change this country’s perception, picture and destiny, with high hopes and expectations.”
Lawyer Ojha said he has filed the case at Muzaffarpur’s Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Bihar on Monday 20th August under Indian Penal Case sections involving sedition. In his complaint, he said Sidhu’s gesture “hurt the people of the country (India)”.
Ojha said: “The court has admitted the case and will hear it next week,” he said.
On Friday, Imran Khan was elected as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, defeating his rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Shehbaz Sharif . While the 65-year-old cricketer-turned-politician bagged 176 seats, Sharif, the PML-N president and the brother of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif managed to secure just 96 seats.
In the July 25 general elections, the PTI had emerged as the single largest party with 116 seats. The number increased to 158 in Pakistan’s National Assembly (NA) after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued notifications of the successful candidates on the reserved seats for women and the minority community.
