Following PM Modi’s departure at 6:47pm, Pakistan’s Foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry spoke to media on Indian PM’s visit, saying that India PM expressed his desire to visit Pakistan on his way back from Kabul.
||ZAHOOR GULZAR
LAHORE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Lahore on 25 December 2015 to wish Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his 66th birthday and to briefly attend his granddaughter’s wedding. PM Modi was on his way back to Delhi from Kabul when he landed at Lahore after inaugurating a new building for Afghanistan’s parliament, a project initiated by Indian government in 2007.
PM Modi arrived at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Airport at 4:30pm and was received by PM Sharif, his cabinet and family members besides Indian High Commissioner TCA Raghavan. His visit coincided with the 139th birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founder. Since Modi’s announcement to land in Lahore, every moment of his visit was marked by element of surprise. Earlier, it was said that the two leaders would meet at the airport but upon his arrival, the two PMs, after warmly hugging each other, walked on red carpet towards the chopper while holding one another’s hands to leave for Sharif’s private palace at Jhati Umra, Raiwand in suburbs of Lahore. While other members of PM Modi’s delegation stayed at the airport, 11 followed the two leaders in a second chopper. Sharif’s palatial palace at Raiwand, however, was decorated with lights of different shades and colours for twin events of Sharif’s birthday and his granddaughter Mehrun Nisa’s wedding. Mehr’s mother, Maryum Nawaz, is believed to be Sharif’s successor in politics. According to media reports, PM Modi gifted an Indian dress to PM Sharif’s granddaughter and Indian shawls to his wife Kulsoom Nawaz.
Following PM Modi’s departure at 6:47pm, Pakistan’s Foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry spoke to media on Indian PM’s visit, saying that India PM expressed his desire to visit Pakistan on his way back from Kabul. Earlier, the PM Modi had tweeted, “Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi.” Chaudhry said it was a goodwill visit and the two sides decided to understand each other’s reservations and restart the comprehensive dialogue in a positive manner.
He said that during the brief meeting the two PMs decided that as a part of the comprehensive dialogue, the foreign secretaries of the two countries would meet in mid- January. About the absence of PM’s adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz and National security adviser Nasir Janjua, Chaudhry said that they too would have attended the meeting if the Indian PM had informed about his visit earlier.
“The two sides decided to collectively work towards the common goal of fighting poverty and increase people to people contact in order to open new avenues for peace and mutual cooperation between the two neighbouring countries,” he added. Leaders of Pakistan’s main opposition parties also welcomed PM Modi on his surprise visit. Welcoming PM Modi, Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, said he had also invited the Indian PM to Pakistan during his recent visit to India. He said that frequent meetings between the heads of two states will have positive impact on the bilateral relations of both countries. “Improvement in Pak-India ties is inevitable for sustainable peace in the region,” Khan said.
The two leaders last met in Paris in November on the sidelines of UN’s Climate Change Conference. The brief chat at Paris was followed by meeting between their national security advisers in Bangkok paving a way for a breakthrough in ties earlier this month when both countries agreed to reinitiate a comprehensive dialogue process during foreign minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad for the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, head of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said the only solution to Pak-India issues is constant communication between the two countries. “We welcome PM Narendra Modi in Pakistan,” he said. The two leaders last met in Paris in November on the sidelines of UN’s Climate Change Conference. The brief chat at Paris was followed by meeting between their national security advisers in Bangkok paving a way for a breakthrough in ties earlier this month when both countries agreed to reinitiate a comprehensive dialogue process during foreign minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad for the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference.
Kashmir’s political camp calls Modi’s Pak visit ‘positive’
“This is an evolutionary process and a step in the right direction. It indicates Prime Minister’s resolve to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with Pakistan,” Mufti stated. Former CM Omar Abdullah appreciated the move. “The re-engagement with Pakistan is a good step and a very welcome development,” Omar tweeted. Mirwaiz Omer Farooq said, “This will enable the two countries to think beyond trade and bilateral relations and also talk about Kashmir to reach some solution,”
SRINAGAR: While both PDP and National Conference welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore, except Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, all separatists termed Sunday’sdiplomatic breakthrough with Pakistan as positive for the relationship between the two countries. Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said he was delighted by the PM’s decision which will strengthen friendship and usher in an era of peace and stability in the region. He hoped that the Modi-Sharif meeting would provide the muchneeded momentum to the comprehensive bilateral dialogue for peaceful resolution of all issues between the two countries.
“This initiative, besides being a great step towards improvement of bilateral relations, will also give impetus to the concept of SAARC,” he added. “This is an evolutionary process and a step in the right direction. It indicates Prime Minister’s resolve to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with Pakistan,” Mufti stated. Former CM Omar Abdullah appreciated the move. “The re-engagement with Pakistan is a good step and a very welcome development,” Omar tweeted. Mirwaiz Omer Farooq said, “This will enable the two countries to think beyond trade and bilateral relations and also talk about Kashmir to reach some solution,” the Mirwaiz said. “It’s a positive sign even if it was surprise for all. We wish the two leaders develop the political will to resolve the Kashmir issue as well, and take people by the same kind of surprise,” the Mirwaiz added.
Modi’s Pak visit part of innovative diplomacy: BJP
“PM Modi’s sudden stop-over at Lahore to greet Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif is a much needed departure from protocol-driven politics between the two countries. Like leaders of other nations in the world like the EU, ASEAN and even countries in our neighborhood, leaders of India and Pakistan too needed to inject informality in their relations,” said BJP general secretary Ram Madhav. NEW DELHI: BJP on Friday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise decision to stop over at Lahore as a departure from” protocol-driven” politics and said there couldn’t have been a better day than the birthday of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for this initiative to improve ties between India and Pakistan.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said the PM acted like a statesman in deciding to visit Pakistan and this is how relations with neighbours should be. “That’s like a statesman. Padosi se aise hi rishte hone chahiyen (This is how it should be with neighbours),” Swaraj said on twitter to the news of Modi’s visit. “PM Modi’s sudden stop-over at Lahore to greet Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif is a much needed departure from protocol-driven politics between the two countries. Like leaders of other nations in the world like the EU, ASEAN and even countries in our neighborhood, leaders of India and Pakistan too needed to inject informality in their relations,” said BJP general secretary Ram Madhav.