Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has triggered a new controversy saying that he will attend the oath taking ceremony of Imran Khan as Pakistan's new Prime Minister.
The Punjab Local bodies said he will attend the ceremony which is scheduled to be held on August 11 and termed the former cricketer and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief as a man of character who can be trusted. Sidhu also considered the invitation for the ceremony a great honour.
Talking to reporters, Sidhu said, "I have a very cordial relationship with Khan Sahib, I've know him since 1983 when I played with him for the first time at Faridabad. He slipped and fell down when he bowled the first ball to me. He then got up and told the umpire that there was saw dust and then bowled the next ball which hit me in my stomach. I was in pain and he came to me and asked - Sardar Sahib - everything okay? and I said yes. After that he did not bowl a bouncer. In the evening he even inquired about me."
Singing praises of Imran, Sidhu said, "In 1986 when I went to Pakistan, I built a bond with him as I considered him a pure soul. He was a selfless man and did everything for his team. If I have to define a great leader, it is a person who does not ask people to believe him but believes in people. From non-entities he has created heroes including fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. These players did not even have shoes to play during their initial days."
"The invitation came from across the border and it's a huge honour for me to be invited for the oath taking ceremony. It is a personal invitation from him and not a political one and it is a wonderful gesture which I have accepted. Being honoured is the biggest gift for any politician. Men of genius are admired, men of power are feared, but men of character are trusted. Khan Sahib is a man of character. He can be trusted. Sportsmen build bridges, break barriers, unite people," said Sidhu.
Describing Imran Khan as a ray of hope, Sidhu said, "He has risen from scratch in politics, and has exhibited great character. I see him as a ray of hope." Sidhu said that when he goes to Pakistan, he will talk to Imran about the celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019 and also about the corridor to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, which is approachable from Dera Baba Nanak.
Sidhu was among the first cricketers from India to congratulate Imran Khan after his party emerged as the single-largest party following the July 25 elections in the neighboring country.