Once believed to be a tall politician of Punjab and a stalwart Congress leader, Captain Amarinder Singh has suddenly started exhibiting repressive and inconsequential political shrewdness by resorting to name-calling and issuing certificates of nationalism. Despite having political acumen, Captain lost his temperament soon after resigning from the post of chief minister of Punjab, but pragmatically this behaviour is leading him nowhere. He was ingenious enough to state that Gandhi's family has humiliated him by removing him in a way that appears disrespectful to a leader of his stature.
Indian PM Narendra Modi appears all cheerful hugging Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
He vindicated his immature quest by starting a blistering attack on Navjot Singh Sidhu, the new PPCC president. He termed him anti-national, a threat to Indian security, and a man of Pakistan’s establishment. If you are a little bit versed with the Pakistani system, you would know that establishment means Army as well as Civil government in Pakistan. He even went to the extent to prove his remarks against Sidhu by invoking an overused, over-stretched, and worn-out fact that Sidhu hugged General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Staff of Pakistan Army, during the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The incident occurred during the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who happens to be a good friend of Navjot Singh Sidhu, owing to their affiliation to the game of cricket. It was nothing more than an accidental meet between Sidhu and Gen Bajwa, but the emotions that led to a bear hug between the two were real after Gen Bajwa informed Sidhu about Pakistan’s intentions of building the Shri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Indian pilgrimage. As an Indian and a devout follower of Guru Nanak Dev ji, I did not find anything wrong in the hug and the same thing was said by Navjot Singh Sidhu when he was asked about hugging the Pakistani Army Chief.
In 2005, Amarinder Singh made a four-day visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who formed the PML-Q on the initiative of Gen Syed Parvez Musharraf Chief of Staff of Army of Pakistan and the country’s president as well at that time and was responsible for the 1999 coup at Kargil. An Indian delegation led by Amarinder Singh included 25-30 journalists, and a few bureaucrats, from Punjab visited Pakistan. The members of the delegation were flown in three Pakistan Army helicopters to visit Nankana Sahib, Katasraj (Where 1500 Hindu temples still stand and are in good shape), and other places. The Indian delegation was even allowed to take flights and get down at Pakistan Air Force aerodromes including Sargodha. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi arranged these army helicopters by requesting Gen Musharraf, who was magnanimous enough and showed generosity towards the Indian delegation by ordering to spare three army helicopters for their travel to Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, and the Shri Katas Raj Temples near Chakwal, in Punjab to pay obeisance at ancient Hindu temples.
Undeterred by the frivolous campaign against him for hugging Bajwa, Sidhu attended the opening ceremony of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor where Amarinder Singh was flanked by a battery of dignitaries including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The presence of Amarinder Singh along with his supporters to pay obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib did surprise many, as he had his own reservations for the opening of the corridor, which he had termed a breeding ground for Sikh Khalistani terrorists. He was so much intoxicated in power that he did not even give a single thought before disparaging the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.
At the opening ceremony, which I attended in the capacity of a journalist from India, PM Imran Khan and Navjot Singh Sidhu were seen sitting together. To be fair and candid enough about what I observed on the ground, Amarinder Singh did not get much attention from the Pakistan administration, and he went around just like any other pilgrim along with his family members and some of his cabinet colleagues. Gen Bajwa who made his presence felt at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor made it a point not to attend the inauguration.
Sidhu is a cricketer-turned-politician and the same is the case with Pakistani premier Imran Khan, so their friendship is beyond politics and borders, so Amarinder’s rhetoric that attending the oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan makes Sidhu less Indian and more Pakistani is absolute foolishness.
I believe that Sidhu always had the reason to be in Pakistan or hugging a Pakistani Army Chief. In first instance, he attended swearing in ceremony of his friend, irrespective of his nationality and in the second instance he hugged a person, who told him that corridors shall be opened up for Indian pilgrims to pay obeisance at the abode of Guru Nanak, which is revered by all. But, the person who has jumped guns to tarnish the image of Navjot Singh Sidhu never had any justifications for his unholy relations with Pakistan.
In 2005, Amarinder Singh made a four-day visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who formed the PML-Q on the initiative of Gen Syed Parvez Musharraf Chief of Staff of Army of Pakistan and the country’s president as well at that time and was responsible for the 1999 coup at Kargil. An Indian delegation led by Amarinder Singh included 25-30 journalists, and a few bureaucrats, from Punjab, visited Pakistan. The members of the delegation were flown in three Pakistan Army helicopters to visit Nankana Sahib, Katasraj (Where 1500 Hindu temples still stand and are in good shape), and other places. The Indian delegation was even allowed to take flights and get down at Pakistan Air Force aerodromes including Sargodha. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi arranged these army helicopters by requesting Gen Musharraf, who was magnanimous enough and showed generosity towards the Indian delegation by ordering to spare three army helicopters for their travel to Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, and the Shri Katas Raj Temples near Chakwal, in Punjab to pay obeisance at ancient Hindu temples.
Musharraf was an architect of Kargil aggression in which India had lost more than 700 soldiers to repulse the Pak army aggressors. Gen Musharraf has not to date repent for Kargil's aggression or limited war with India.
If one goes by Amarinder Singh’s argument of dubbing Navjot Sidhu anti-national for hugging Gen Bajwa, and one draws a corollary between the Gen Bajwa-Sidhu hug and use of army helicopter provided by Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Gen Musharraf then Amarinder Singh, all the 30 Punjab journalists, and a few bureaucrats accompanying the delegation, all are anti-national as well as part of Pakistan establishment. It may be added here that prominent among those who accompanied Captain Singh were Bhartinder Singh Chahal, then Amarinder Singh’s media advisor, Raveen Thukral and Atish Jolly, both journalists who were too close to Amarinder Singh.
In Amarinder Singh’s second term as chief minister, Raveen Thukral was CM’s media advisor. They all enjoyed the generosity shown by Gen Musharraf. Still, I would not call them agents of the Pakistani establishment or anti-national. All are nationalists to the core of their hearts. They love their country.
Amarinder Singh has accepted Arbi mare as a gift from Parvez Elahi, which he gave to PAP Jalandhar. But Parkash Singh Badal asked Pak PM Nawaz Sharif to provide him Dumbas (a special breed of sheep); he got three Dumbas, which he kept at his farmhouse in Lambi.
It is a sad story that India- Pakistan are neighbours but do not have peaceful relations even after 75 years of division of the Indian sub-continent. It would be appropriate to add here that PM Vajpayee made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the lingering Indo-Pak conflict. He accompanied prominent writers, actors, intellectuals, journalists with him in two buses to Lahore. Parleys were held with Pakistan leaders but it turned futile. Gen Musharraf organised Kargil limited war and soldiers were killed on both sides. The Indian army lost around 700 of its soldiers.
Vajpayee was a great statesman forgetting the Kargil episode, still invited Gen Musharraf for Agra meet, which again proved another failed effort. This time deputy Prime Minister LK Advani put his foot down and did not allow the signing of any agreement with Pakistan.
Without any invitation PM Narendra Modi reached Lahore to attend the family function at Nawaz Sharif's residential estate (when limited Kargil war happened at that time Nawaz Sharif was PM), not caring much for the security concerns. Nawaz Sharif welcomed Modi but he had to pay a high political price, as the Pakistan military establishment could not digest Indian PM visiting Pakistan without their approval or clearance.
All these efforts and attempts by various Indian leaders, Amarinder Singh’s three-four visits to Pakistan as Chief Minister of Punjab, and Navjot Sidhu’s attending Imran Khan’s PM installation ceremonies at Islamabad were attempts in different ways at different levels to make a way for peace and harmony with our neighbour’s-Pakistan.
Amarinder Singh is a very seasoned and shrewd politician of Punjab after Parkash Singh Badal, who has gone into oblivion because of his age and health compulsions. It would be better if Amarinder Singh restrains himself from attacking Navjot Sidhu using his Pakistan connections, instead, he should start strong political discourse in Punjab to make politics more competitive rather than vindictive and denigrative.
*The writer is an Indo-Pak peace activist and political analysts