At the ground-breaking ceremony at Kartarpur corridor, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has landed in a controversy by the social media on Thursday, where he was seen as posing with Sikh militant Gopal Singh Chawla, which was later posted on social media with lots of controversy over that.
General secretary of the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (PSGPC) Gopal Singh Chawla, who is also known as a pro-Khalistan, said, “What is the big deal in this? I don’t know why I am dragged into everything. Why such links are created … I have no intention of creating any terror,” while speaking to news reporters.
Recently, Chawla’s name was linked with the attack in Amritsar on Nirankari Bhawan, where three people were killed caused by the terror. However, officials has said Chawla was also in contact with ISI and LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) group chief Hafiz Saeed, which supports terrorism over the world. Amid reports, a photo of Chawla and Saeed was also hatched by some agency.
A Pakistani official said, “Gopal Singh Chawla is a senior leader of the PSGPC, and he is invited to all events involving the Sikh community.”
In a tweet on Wednesday, ISPR DG Gen Asif Ghafoor wrote: “Indian media taking a myopic view is selectively showing Mr. Gopal Chawla meeting COAS. Army Chief met all guests at the venue irrespective of identity. A peace initiative should not be subjected to propaganda.”
In fact, according to news report, Singh was involved in the matter where two Indian officials were forced denied access to the Sikh shrine in Pakistan.