Navjot Singh Sidhu meets Sushma Swaraj to discuss Kartarpur corridor, ‘snubbed’

The Indian Express
September 18, 2018

Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and urged her to help initiate a dialogue with Pakistan for opening up of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

Union Minister and Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, however, claimed that Swaraj “reprimanded” Sidhu for “messing up” the issue and accused him of “misusing” the political clearance granted to him for visiting Pakistan to attend Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony as the prime minister. “External Affairs Minister (Swaraj) reprimanded Sidhu for messing up Kartarpur Sahib corridor dialogue and misusing political clearance granted for private visit by hugging military chief responsible for killing our soldiers,” Badal said.

While there was no official word from MEA, sources said that the issue of Kartarpur was discussed between Swaraj and Sidhu. However, the Indian side was waiting for an official proposal from Pakistan, they added. When asked whether she reprimanded Sidhu, sources said that is “quite correct”, adding that Swaraj told Sidhu that his conduct in Pakistan was not in line with the purpose of the visit.

Also, she told him that he should not “politicise” the issue of Kartarpur corridor which is quite “sensitive”. Swaraj also told him that Harsimrat Badal had already brought the issue to her notice.

According to sources, Sidhu met Swaraj along with another senior Congress leader and a former Rajya Sabha MP to discuss the issue with her.

Sidhu had courted controversy by hugging Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. He had claimed that he did so as Bajwa told him that the Pakistan government was working out opening of the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims from Indian state of Punjab.

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