India's cricketer-turned politician Navjot Sidhu on Tuesday (21) hit back at critics attacking him for hugging the army chief of rival Pakistan, saying he just got emotional.
A former Test opener, Sidhu crossed over to neighbouring Pakistan after being invited by his cricketer friend Imran Khan to the latter's swearing-in ceremony as prime minister on Saturday.
Pictures of Sidhu hugging Pakistan army chief general Qamar Javed Bajwa and sharing the front row with the head of Pakistan-administered Kashmir Masood Khan were splashed all over Indian media.
The images were ceased up by opposition leaders who called Sidhu's actions shameful and accused him of compromising the nation's dignity.
The chief minister of northern Punjab state where Sidhu is a minister said it was wrong of his cabinet colleague to show affection for the army chief when "Indian soldiers were being killed everyday".
The Himalayan region of Kashmir is at the heart of the decades long conflict between the nuclear-armed foes, with both sides laying claim to the conflict-riven territory.
Ties, including sports and cultural contacts, plummeted after the 2008 militant attacks in Mumbai, which New Delhi blames on Pakistani militant groups.
Sidhu, 54, said he could not control his emotions after Bajwa said he wanted peace and that he was considering opening a corridor from India to a historic Sikh pilgrimage site in Pakistan.
"For me this was a very emotional moment and there was a feeling of affection. After that brief moment, there was no meeting (between us)," Sidhu told reporters.
"It just lasted a minute maybe. So I am sad and there is a bit of disappointment on this front."
Imran Khan too batted for Sidhu while thanking him for making the trip.
"He was an ambassador of peace & was given amazing love & affection by ppl of Pakistan," Khan tweeted on Tuesday.
"Those in India who targeted him are doing a gt disservice to peace in the subcontinent - without peace our ppl cannot progress."
A doughty opening batsman, Sidhu is remembered for famously hitting Shane Warne to all corners at the start of the great Australian spinner's Test career.
With his razor-sharp wit and colourful turbans -- usually paired with a matching blazer-pocket handkerchief -- Sidhu forged a successful career as a pundit after retirement before also becoming a gameshow host.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)