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Indian PM makes surprise stopover in Lahore
Citing examples of BJP stalwarts A B Vajpayee and L K Advani, ally Shiv Sena today said that political careers of leaders who got too close to Pakistan have been on the wane as it criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore.
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Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz has said that as per decision of the two prime ministers, Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India would meet either on January 14 or 15 to prepare a schedule for the “Comprehensive Dialogue”. From the airport, the two leaders left by helicopter for Sharif’s nearby family estate.
Insiders believe that a combination of factors pushed the Modi government into chalking a new line, cloaked in optics and symbolism. “They both have martyred Muslims – Modi in Gujarat and Shahbaz Sharif in Model Town Lahore”, commented the PML-Q leader.
Modi’s visit was seen very important ahead of the resumption of the official dialogue between the two countries next month after a break of almost eight year.
Chowdhury said the two premiers agreed to “open ways for peace and better atmosphere”, while understanding each other’s concerns.
He said in a dramatic and unscheduled meeting between prime ministers of India and Pakistan in Lahore it was decided that foreign secretaries of the two countries would meet in mid-January to decide details of dialogue on all issues.
Senior Indian officials and politicians also spoke positively of the meeting, with foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeting that the meeting had set a “positive spirit in the neighborhood”.
Aziz dispelled the impression that the entourage of the Indian Prime Minister visited Lahore without any visa.
Initial optimism about a revival of ties was short-lived as the two countries traded heavy fire across their disputed border in the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, which claimed dozens of lives on both sides.
According to Indian media, President Barack Obama has invited both the PMs for the Nuclear Security Summit to be held on March 31 and April 1, 2016. It was unclear, however, when Modi’s visit itself was planned.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday announced the action plan of “Start-up India, Stand-up India”, which will be launched on January 16.
They also reminded PM that violations of LoC, infiltrations and cross-border terrorism were going on unabated. “It is really rare for leaders from the two countries to refrain from putting the other person in a spot, at least once”, the source said.
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Given Pakistan’s centrality in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, the USA has, for weeks, been nudging New Delhi and Islamabad to resume dialogue, last suspended in 2013.