Sidhu under Oppn fire for Pak visit, BJP calls it 'shameful'

The opposition in Punjab today targeted Navjot Singh Sidhu for attending the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan as Pakistan's Prime Minister, with the BJP describing his visit to Islamabad as "shameful".

It also asked the cricketer-turned-politician whether it was necessary to visit Pakistan at a time when India was mourning the demise of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Sidhu's hug with Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the ceremony also came under fire with the opposition parties asking him whether he remembered the sacrifices made by the Indian soldiers at the border at that time.

"Sidhu's visit to Pakistan is shameful," said Punjab BJP chief Shwait Malik.

"On one side, the Pakistan army was involved in attacking our soldiers at the border and on the other side Sidhu was hugging the Army chief. Does it mean he was thanking him for killing our jawans?" he asked.

Malik dubbed Sidhu as an "opportunist" and accused him of putting the nation's dignity at risk.

The BJP leader demanded an apology from him for the "unacceptable act."