Army Chief on Khalistani Gopal Chawla seen with Pak CoAS General Bajwa during #KartarpuraCorridor inauguration: Eve… https://t.co/JIZ3JhB2T3 — ANI (@ANI) 1543405181000

At the Kartarpur Sahib inauguration, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke at length of imrpoving ties with India.But at the same event, presence of pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Chawla stood as testimony to Pakistan's sympathy for extremist forces active against India. Pakistan state broadcaster PTV beamed images of Chawla shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.Chawla had in the past shared dais with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, and openly advocated war against India.At an event in Pakistan in August 2017 , Chawla talked of using organisations like Milli Muslim League, a political front for Saeed's banned Jamaat ud Dawa, to 'get rid of India.'Saeed is a UN-designated global terrorist with a bounty of $10 million on his head.India has made it clear that participating in the Kartarpur initiative is not a change of its stand on Pakistan.Army chief General Bipin Rawat, when asked about Chawla and Bajwa being seen together, said that the Kartarpur initiative should be seen in isolation.When asked, a Pakistani official said, Gopal Chawla is a senior leader of Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (PSGPC), and he was invited to all events involving the Sikh community."Indian media taking a myopic view is selectively showing Mr Gopal Chawla meeting COAS. Army Chief met all guests at the venue irrespective of identity. A peace initiative should not be subjected to propaganda," ISPR DG Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted.Any dialogue with Pakistan would be possible only once Islamabad stops support for terrorist forces active against India, New Delhi has repeatedly said.(With PTI inputs)