Navjot Sidhu attends Imran Khan's swearing-in; hopeful of cricket improving Indo-Pak relations
On August 18, 2018, Pakistan saw one of its most popular former-cricketers begin a new kind of innings in public administration, as Imran Khan, also the chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) party, got appointed as the 22nd Prime Minister of the nation. Several dignitaries and important guests were part of the occasion, which as held at the President's residence in Islamabad, the Pak capital.
One of the most important men to be present there was Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian cricketer-turned-politician. He represented India at the venue and was one of the many "former colleagues" of Imran Khan back from his cricketing days.
After coming out from the event, Sidhu found time in interacting with several Pakistani and International media, talking about his days when he came against the maverick Pakistan all-rounder in the cricket pitch. He went on to say that he was sure of Imran Khan heralding in a good future for Pakistan, by being at the helm of its administration.
Another important point that Sidhu put forward, was that he wanted cricket matches to be played between the winning teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL), India's and Pakistan's premium international T20 tournaments, respectively.
"Cricket takes us to a whole new level," Sidhu said before leaving for Lahore after attending Khan's oath-taking ceremony. "A match between the winning team of the IPL and PSL is a good idea," before adding that cricket can bring Pakistan and India together.
Sidhu concluded by saying that he will remember this trip to Pakistan for the rest of his life. He called the trip a "new beginning".
"I hope I have laid the foundations and someone will work on it," the former cricketer said.
The former Indian cricketer presented a shawl to the new man in office, as picked up by several news handles. He also found time to interact with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa during the function.
Meanwhile, it is also to be noted that the Indian media, in general, did not take the gesture very well and many of them had a negative opinion on Sidhu attending the ceremony. Watch what Sidhu is speaking, here: