Capt forwards Sidhu’s letter to chief secretary

Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has forwarded Navjot Singh Sidhu’s letter seeking permission to visit Pakistan for the Kartarpur Corridor inauguration to the chief secretary for necessary action.

An official spokesperson said Captain had received Sidhu’s letter this morning and immediately sent it to the state chief secretary.

The chief minister later told some mediapersons in an informal chat that Sidhu was also invited to join the all-party jatha going to Kartarpur Sahib on November 9. “The Amritsar deputy commissioner had been pursuing the matter with Sidhu’s office, but the latter failed to respond,” Captain said.

‘Issue politicised for vested interests’

“India should have stood as one, especially considering the deeper agenda which seemed to be behind the Pakistan’s decision to open the corridor, but instead the whole issue has been politicised for vested interests,” Captain said.

The chief minister said he still had suspicion about Pakistan’s intent and added that corridor opening could be an ISI operation aimed at wooing the Sikh community for ‘Referendum 2020’.

“We have to be on our toes,” Captain said, warning India against taking Pakistan at its face value, especially in view of the heightened ISI activity in Punjab.