Turning a new chapter in India Pakistan
relationship ,Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sprang a surprise by his
sudden move to visit Pakistan and fly to ancestral residence of Nawaz
Sharif in Raiwind.
Behind
the High profile social diplomacy, the two leaders remained closeted for about
90 minutes,giving signals of bonhomie between the two leaders.The visit created an informal atmosphere and gave a diplomatic statement that visits were always not meant for outcomes and the two countries had deep rooted relationships that can not be kept hostage to terrorism all time. Many believe that Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif must have been taken in loop to make the visit more significant in coming years. Mr Modi
and Nawaz shook hands and shared warm hugs at the Lahore airport before flying
to Raiwind in a same chopper.
Friday ’s visit was fifth meeting between the Prime Ministers since May 2014 and the
developing chemistry between the two leaderscame to fore today .The visit will
certainly whip up controversies and expectations and will certainly cast its
positive impact on comprehensive dialogue process besides the coming foreign secretaries meetings.
Modi’s opposition camp, Congress,has dismissed
such meeting as a non serious diplomatic exercise and has sought many answers
from the PM,but experts feel that the meeting will certainly pave way for positives
ness and it also displays seriousness of
the two sides for normalization of ties.Modi wished the birth day boy Sharif and showered
blessings to his granddaughter on her marriage.Diplomatic circles were agog on what transpired
between the two leaders during the Modi's 90/minutes stay in humming
surroundings in the decorated house of Sharif. Mr
Atal Behari Vajpayee who marked his 91th birth day today ,was the last Prime
Minister who had visited Pakistan a decade ago. Informatively ,Dec. 25 is also
the birthday of Sharif and Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.Mr
Vajpayee had gone to Pakistan to attend the 12th SAARC Summit in January 2004.His visit
was during the regime of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Former Prime
Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had meetings with his counter part during
foreign meets,but he had never visited Pakistan during his tenure. All
expectations of Dr Singh’s visit to Pakistan had gone to hay wire after after
Mumbai Serial Blasts in 2008. Dr Singh’s roots in Pakistan where he was born
had always fuelled speculations about his visit to Pakistan. it
was only last year,Sharif had visited India to attend Modi’s swearing-in
ceremony after the BJP had swept to power in the 2014 General elections. All
SAARC Leadeers were invited by Mr Modi to attend his swearing in
ceremony. Since
1947, Three Indian Prime Ministers- Jawarlal Nehru, Atal Behari Vajpayeew and
Rajiv Gandhi had visited Pakistan.Jawaharlal
Nehru had gone to Pakistan in July 1953 and he had again went there in 1960 for
inking The Indus Waters treaty. After
him ,Rajiv Gandhi visited Pakistan twice – in December 1988 and in July 1989. Vajpayee had gone to Pakistan twice, but Kargil war had
bittered twice soon after. After this Vajpayee visited Pakistan in 2004
for SARRC.Mr Modi made announcement of his visit on a tweet, shortly
before leaving Kabul.
Today,Modi spoke to Mr Sharif and wished him on his birthday today.
''Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I
will drop by on my way back to Delhi,'' Mr Modi tweeted.
It was His second meeting with Mr Sharif within a month. Earlier,
the two leaders had met in Paris on November 30 on the sidelines of the Climate
Change Summit, a meeting, which also came all of a sudden. Mr Modi was already
scheduled to visit Pakistan next year to attend the SAARC Summit. Mr Modi had this morning reached Afghanistan capital
from Moscow, where he had gone on December 23 for the annual summit
with President Vladimir Putin.In another surprise move, the National Security
Advisors of the two countries met in Bangkok without any prior announcement of
the meeting.
The NSAs meeting was all the more surprising, in view of the fact that the
meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Sharif in Paris on the sidelines of the Climate
Change summit was very brief and was till last, described by senior MEA
officials as a 'pull aside,' which was restricted to the exchange of
pleasantries.it is generally understood that at the meeting, the two leaders
decided to resume the peace process.
PHOTOS: PIB
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