Amritsar, November 29: Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today returned to India via Attari border after his visit to Pakistan to attend the stone-laying ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor. While answering a question on his photograph with a Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan chief, Sidhu said that he didn’t know who Gopal Chawla was. He stated, “There were probably 5-10,000 pictures taken of and with me in Pakistan, I don't know who is Gopal Chawla.”

After returning to India, Sidhu expressed his happiness over the decision of Indian and Pakistan government to construct the corridor connecting the Kartapur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan with Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur district. The Punjab minister said that hatred between both the countries could be removed by the teachings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. He also thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for accepting India’s request to build the corridor. Kartarpur Corridor: Indian Delegation Returns, Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Takes Jibe at Navjot Sidhu-Imran Khan Bonhomie

Earlier in the day, the pro-Khalistan leader posted a photograph with the cricketer turned politician, which sparked a controversy. On Wednesday at the Kartarpur corridor inauguration event in Lahore, Chawla was also seen with Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who had received a hug from Sidhu during Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's oath-taking ceremony earlier this year. Chawla is known to be close to Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

Yesterday, the Pakistan Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the corridor. While addressing the gathering after the ceremony, Khan said that Sidhu had gained popularity in Pakistan and he could win an election there. Khan also expressed disappointment over Sidhu's criticism by the Indian media, calling it unfair and unsubstantiated.

On November 22, Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced the construction of the Kartarpur Corridor on India’s side of the border and also urged Pakistan to the corridor on its side. On the same day, Pakistan accepted India’s request. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone of the corridor in Dera Baba Nanak on November 26. The corridor will give visa-free access to Sikh pilgrim to Kartarpur Sahib, where Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 29, 2018 05:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).