Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has said that the state government will conduct a probe to ascertain if Pakistani journalist Aroosa Alam, who has been visiting former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for several years, has links with the ISI.
“They’re (Capt Amarinder Singh) now saying that there’s a threat from ISI. We’ll look into the woman’s connection with it (ISI). Capt kept raising drones issue coming from Pakistan for last 4.5 years,” said Sukhjinder. “So Captain first raised this issue and later got BSF deployed in Punjab. We will ask DGP to look into this matter,” he added.
Sukhjinder said Aroosa’s visa was extended from time to time.
Referring to Capt Amarinder raising concerns over security scenarios in the state, Sukhjinder said if he had done good work in four-and-a-half years how the situation has deteriorated in one month of his leaving office. “He (Capt Amarinder) was the CM of the state for the past four-and-a-half years. If he has done good work in securing the border and Punjab, then how come the security issue emerged within one month of him leaving the office,” asked Sukhjinder.
He also slammed the Centre and said that despite high-level security, drones are able to enter the state. “How will the new directive concerning the BSF help in securing the state,” asked Sukhjinder.
Capt Amarinder replied through a flurry of tweets, put out by his media advisor Raveen Thukral on Friday, saying that when Randhawa was a Minister in Amarinder Singh’s cabinet, he had never complained about Aroosa.
“She had been coming for 16 years with due Government of India clearances. Or are you alleging that both the NDA and the Congress-led UPA governments in this period connived with Pak ISI?” said Capt Amarinder, alleging that Randhawa was resorting to “personal attacks”.
Capt Amarinder also took a dig at Sukhjinder, who holds the home portfolio, saying he was “worried” that instead of focusing on law and order at a time when terror threat is high and festivals are around the corner, he had put the DGP on a baseless investigation.
He also asked Sukhjinder what results he had to show for “the tall promises” he had made regarding the desecration and drug cases.
Captain Amarinder Singh replied to Sukhjinder’s tweets with another set of tweets late Friday, saying that all visa requests made for Aroosa were cleared by RAW and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before approval. He said that an inquiry had already been held in 2007 before Aroosa was granted a visa.