Invited for the swearing-in ceremony of his friend Imran Khan as next prime minister of Pakistan, Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday left for the neighbouring country through Attari-Wagah border on 15-day visa.
Imran, a cricketer-turned-politician whose party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged winner in the recent elections, will take oath as Pakistan’s 21st prime minister in Islamabad on Saturday.
Sidhu, who was also a cricketer before joining politics, carried a pashmina shawl which he will present to Imran as a gift. He went to Lahore by road, from where he was to take flight to Islamabad.
An agency report said that speaking to reporters in Lahore, Sidhu said: “Athletes and artistes erase distances (between countries)...I have come here carrying the message of love, and prayers for Pakistanis.”