'Sidhu should have avoided hugging Pak Army chief'

Amid the controversy over former cricketer and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu hugging Pakistan army chief during the swearing-in-ceremony of Imran Khan as Pakistan's prime minister, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said it was not a nice gesture.

He said, his cabinet colleague's hug to the Pakistan army chief was completely avoidable.

Amarinder said Sidhu should have avoided indulging in such a gesture when Indian soldiers were getting killed every day at the borders.

“After all, it is the army chief who gives the orders to kill, with the soldiers merely following the same”, he said.

" Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa is responsible for the deaths of our soldiers and Sidhu should not have shown such niceties towards him, " Amarinder said.

As for Sidhu sitting next to the PoK president, he said the Punjab minister possibly did not know who he may be sitting with and in any case, the sitting arrangement was not in his hands.

He, however, dismissed the Opposition's demand for Sidhu’s resignation saying it was not important.

“As for Sidhu going for Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony, it was in his personal capacity due to his close relations with the former cricketer from their cricketing days,” he said.