Pakistan CM Capt. Amarinder Singh | Photo Credit: PTI

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in an interview to a television news channel dubbed the opening of the Kartarpur corridor by Pakistan a ploy by ISI to destabilise Punjab by reviving militancy. He cited the fact that Pakistan Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa broke the news to Sidhu even before Iran Khan was sworn-in as the Prime Minister, dubbing the whole affair a bigger conspiracy hatched by the Pakistani army.

“The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is clearly a game plan of the ISI against India,” he said in the interview. Punjab CM, who had declined the invite by Pakistan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony, admitted that Pakistan is trying to revive militancy in Punjab and therefore India should be “wary of the overtures, no matter how grand they seem”.

On the controversy around Sidhu, Singh said the matter is being “unnecessarily hyped” and those raking up the issue fail to see “ISI’s gameplan” and those raking up the issue fail to see ISI’s gameplan. He dubbed the controversy as nothing more than a credit war, slamming the Akalis and BJPs for diverting the attention away from terror activities in Punjab by raking up the issue of his relationship with Sidhu.

The Punjab CM said that he advised Sidhu to decline the invite and write to the Pak Minister for foreign affairs, he said he shared a copy of the same on the social media. But Sidhu did not heed his advice and visited due to his friendship with Imran Khan.

"I (Punjab CM) and Sidhu are not at loggerheads as reported by the media and I have absolutely no problems with Sidhu while running the Government. Sidhu always speaks in a forthright manner and his only problem is that sometimes he shoots before he thinks," he told ANI on his relationship with Sidhu.

Punjab CMO: I (Punjab CM) and Sidhu are not at loggerheads as reported by the media and I have absolutely no problems with Sidhu while running the Government. Sidhu always speaks in a forthright manner and his only problem is that sometimes he shoots before he thinks (file pics) pic.twitter.com/hnJGplIzFv — ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2018

Singh said the demand for Kartarpur issue was long pending since the 1947 Partition as several holy Sikh shrines such Sri Nankana Sahib, Sri Panja Sahib, Dera Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib) were in Pakistan.

He acknowledged Imran Khan’s efforts to make peace with India but warned that the sentiment should be shared by Islamabad’s army who should ensure that killings of Indian soldiers on the border be stopped immediately.

Captain Amarinder said he declined the invite to the groundbreaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan because he could not think of going there while Indian soldiers and civilians were being killed by Pakistani Army.