Updated November 29th, 2018 at 19:07 IST

Imran Khan makes Navjot Sidhu his 12th man, enshrines him in Pakistan government's 'achievements' propaganda booklet

A day after Navjot Singh Sidhu and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's exchange of superlatives and 'Sidhu for PM' pitch at Kartarpur, the Pakistan government has seemingly walked the talk by heaping further importance on the Congress leader, practically enshrining him as the flagbearer of its achievements in the first 100 days.

Reported by: Ankit Prasad
| Image:self
Advertisement

A day after Navjot Singh Sidhu and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's exchange of superlatives and 'Sidhu for PM' pitch at Kartarpur, the Pakistan government has seemingly walked the talk by heaping further importance on the Congress leader, practically enshrining him as the flagbearer of its achievements in the first 100 days.

Republic TV has accessed the Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry's 'First 100 Days' achievement brochure, which makes some questionable claims, including about its assessment of India-related issues.

SHOCKER: After Bajwa Hug And Imran Praise, Navjot Sidhu Meets 26/11 Mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Aide

The brochure states on its very first page that the manifesto before the Imran government included: "A conflict resolution approach towards eastern and western neighbours".

Towards this, Pakistan says it has "Forcefully articulated core concerns and positions on":

  • Islamophobia
  • Jammu and Kashmir dispute
  • Peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan

On the second page, the list of Pakistan's 'salient achievements' is overshadowed by a full-width picture of Sidhu sitting beside Imran Khan and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Kartarpur groundbreaking ceremony, thereby making Sidhu the first foreign leader (of many) to find mention in the document.   

WATCH: Imran Khan's 'Sidhu For PM' Pitch At Event To Taunt India

The following pages carry details of the foreign visits by Imran Khan. To put things into perspective, the image of Imran Khan meeting Xi Jinping (President of Pakistan's all-weather ally) is minuscule compared to the photo of Sidhu.

The section about "Pakistan in the region" begins with Imran Khan's 'you take one step, we'll take two' quote about India.

The first point is "Continual interaction with the US", which doesn't go into details but is perhaps a reference to the Twitter war between Imran Khan and US President Trump in the midst of the US stopping up to $3 billion in military aid.

The India-related points are:

  • Prime Minister's offer of dialogue to India
  • Ground breaking of Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara Corridor for Sikh Yatrees' visits to Pakistan.

That the report contains such a key visual reference to Sidhu implies that it was being drafted as late as Wednesday when the groundbreaking ceremony took place. During his speech, Imran Khan had batted for Sidhu successfully contesting elections both in India and Pakistan, saying "I hope we don't have to wait for Sidhu to become Prime Minister for peace between India and Pakistan", as well as, "You can come and contest elections in Punjab (Pakistan). You will win." In the same speech he also made a mention of resolving the Kashmir issue, which Omar Abdullah called 'simplistic'. Sidhu, for his part, bowled flattering balls at Imran Khan, opining that the day the Kartarpur corridor's history is written, Imran Khan's name would be on the first page.

WATCH: The Vile And Disgusting Threats Hafiz Saeed's Aide Made Against India Just Months Before Posing With Sidhu

Advertisement

Published November 29th, 2018 at 18:15 IST