Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is finally going Pakistan. After many flip-flops, Punjab Cabinet Minister Sidhu has been granted visa soon after he visited the Pakistan High Commission on Monday to discuss and complete the formalities ahead of his visit to the neighbouring country.
However, he is yet to receive a go-ahead from the Indian Government.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister-designate and a cricketing legend Imran Khan has “personally” invited Sidhu to visit Islamabad for attending his oath taking ceremony on August 18. Besides Sidhu, Imran has also invited Indian cricket legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev to attend the ceremony.
Sources informed The Pioneer that Sidhu has also conveyed about this to the authorities concerned in Pakistan.
Sidhu, after visiting the Pak High Commission earlier in the day, had said that he has applied for the political clearance from the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to visit Pakistan for on August 18, and the response from the MEA is still awaited.
Sidhu is more than eager to visit the neighbouring country, and is describing it as the “golden opportunity” to break barriers and improve ties, not only between the two countries but between two Punjabs too. But, for the same, he also wanted the approval by the Central Government.
Earlier when Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has tweeted about inviting Sidhu among other Indian celebrities for the event, Sidhu had stated that he feel honoured for being “personally” invited by Imran Khan.
Sidhu had showered immense praises on his “friend since 1983”, and expressed hope that with former Pak cricketer at the helm, the relations between the two warring neighboring countries would improve.
“I could see my dream of starting the celebrations for the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhs’ first master, Guru Nanak Dev, next year from Nankana Sahib in Pakistan…I want to take my Chief Minister there,” he had said while addressing a press conference at Chandigarh.
Asserting that “sportsmen break barriers, and unite people”, Sidhu maintained that the times would come to see giving access of Kartarpur corridor to the Sikh devotees, opening up of the Hussainiwala border, among other things.
Sidhu had also batted for starting sports between Indian and Pakistan.
Heaping praises on the former Pakistan cricket captain, Sidhu had also referred to him as a “pure soul” and someone who was seen as a “Greek god”.
“I believe this could be a new era. This could be a new dawn and this could usher in an era of hope,” he had said.
“The thaw must begin and the ice must melt. Someone must make a beginning. I see infinite possibilities with Khan Sahib,” Sidhu had said, while adding that every issue which is connected with Punjab, including cross border smuggling, will be taken up.