CHANDIGARH: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Friday lashed out at former chief minister Amarinder Singh and said a probe would be ordered into his Pakistani friend Aroosa Alam’s links with the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
The attack came days after Amarinder Singh’s announcement on floating his party and hinting at a possible pre-poll alliance with the BJP. Amarinder seemed unfazed by Randhawa’s attack and said Aroosa has been a regular visitor to him for the past 16 years with the clearance of the Centre.
Mounting a sharp attack on Amarinder, Randhawa said, “Amarinder claims Punjab faces a threat from the ISI. So, we will also probe the relation of Aroosa Alam with ISI. I have asked the Punjab DGP to investigate the allegations.” He alleged the former CM got the inquiry into the January, 2017, Maur bomb blast case stalled and promised to reopen the probe.
Hitting back at Randhawa, Amarinder said, “You (Randhawa) were a minister in my Cabinet. You never complained about Aroosa Alam. She had been coming for 16 years with due clearances from the Union government or are you alleging that both the NDA and the UPA governments in this period connived with ISI?’’“What I am worried about is that instead of focusing on law and order at a time when terror threat is high, you have put Punjab DGP to probe a baseless allegation at the cost of the state’s safety. So you are resorting to personal attacks,” Amarinder added.
Aroosa’s name had cropped up when Amarinder hit out at Navjot Singh Sidhu in 2018 for attending the swearing in ceremony of Imran Khan and hugging the Pakistani army chief. Amarinder had met Aroosa when he visited Pakistan in 2004. She is reportedly a regular visitor to his home and had also attended Amarinder’s oath-taking ceremony.