Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Congress leader and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for hugging Pakistan Army chief general Qamar Javed Bajwa. Sidhu also sat next to Masood Khan, president of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), during the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Demanding Sidhu's immediate suspension, the BJP attacked the opposition for the statements made by its leaders on their visit to Pakistan.
BJP had also questioned Congress president Rahul Gandhi whether Sidhu took his permission before going there and if he will be suspended immediately.
"Sidhu is not an ordinary man but a minister and hugging Pakistan's army chief and sitting next to PoK's president is an issue which has been taken very seriously by every Indian. Did Rahul Gandhi give him permission to go there and will he suspend him now?" BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters.
"Before hugging the army chief he should have remembered how the Pakistan army kills innocent civilians and Indian army soldiers and he should have refused to sit next to the PoK president," Patra added.
Patra's remarks comes a day after Sidhu attended the ceremony and told Pakistan media that he hoped ties between the two countries improve with Imran Khan taking charge.
"A new morning has dawned in Pakistan which can change the destiny of the country. I hope Imran's victory would be good for the peace process between the two countries," Sidhu said to state-run PTV channel.
Patra had also brought up past statements from Congress leaders for praising Pakistan while they were there.
"Salman Khurshid went to Pakistan and said the Modi government doesn't want peace. Mani Shankar Aiyar while giving an interview in Pakistan in November, 2015 said the Modi government should be removed," Patra said.
The BJP spokesperson added that Ghulam Nabi Azad said the armed forces killed more civilians than terrorists in J&K. Another Congress leader Saifuddin Soz said he stood with Pervez Musharraf and demanded that Kashmir should be granted independence.
"Now Sidhu says he wants to thank the people of Pakistan. Does he want to thank them for sending terrorists here to kill civilians and soldiers?" asked Patra.
