Of course, there are hawkish elements both in India and Pakistan who want both the countries to be in perpetual conflict, swearing by hatred and animosity.
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Vladimir Putin gifts Bapu’s handwritten notes, Bengal sword to Narendra Modi
The visit comes more than two weeks after Modi and Sharif had an unscheduled meeting at the Paris climate change talks. From hydrocarbons, the cooperation is now moving to the hardest form of carbon – diamonds, the Prime Minister said.
As expected, a section of media and major opposition parties in India are critical about Modi’s sudden visit to Pakistan.
Discussion of kashmir between India and Pakistan
Security forces and troops were beefed up at the Lahore International Airport shortly before Modi’s arrival. The previously unplanned visit is a sign of improving relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“That’s like a statesman”.
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With the 2016 launch cancelled, the spacecraft will be returned from Vandenberg to Lockheed’s facility in Denver. NASA officials said the delay of the InSight mission wouldn’t affect the schedule of any other missions to Mars.
Since independence from Britain in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, the Himalayan region that both claim in its entirety.
Analysts viewed the visit as a potential turning point in Pakistani-Indian relations. “We don’t understand why he changed his stand towards Pakistan, we need clarification on this”, he said.
However, he made a decision to be primarily optimistic about the visit. “Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif and wished him on his birthday”, dropped bombshell on the people of two countries.
“Indo-Pak relations have been plagued by knee-jerk reactions and a lack of consistency”. In November the “pull aside” meeting between the two PMs in November surprised all at that time, but this turned in to a bigger surprise for all.
Abdullah’s colleagues too seem to be echoing his optimism.
The BJP veteran recalled former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s initiative of visiting Lahore saying the present leadership needs to take it forward.
Swaraj this month said India and Pakistan must set aside decades of mistrust to ease travel restrictions so that landlocked Afghanistan can export goods more easily through the two countries. “People-to-people contact needs to increase” to improve the chances for peace, he said.
He didn’t stop there.
The surprise move even caught Modi’s own party, the BJP, off-guard.
Modi’s visit occurred on his return from a scheduled trip to Afghanistan.
However, backing the Prime Minister, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the comments from the Congress reflects the party’s narrow mindset.
Despite the expanded and growing strategic relationship with the U.S., and economic partnerships with other powers such as Japan and Germany, Russia continues to be an important partner for New Delhi. “This is out in the open”, he said, asking the Prime Minister to reveal the name of the businessman himself. Prime Minister Sharif saw off his Indian counterpart at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. While his engagements with countries like the US, UK and Japan have been hailed, his track record with neighbouring countries has been, at best, mixed. In an obvious reference to Pakistan, Modi said there were “some who did not want us to be here”.
“It’s selfie time! Thanks Premier Li”. “Yesterday, the PM gave an example of innovative diplomacy”.
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“With my friend @TonyAbbottMHR at the MCG”.
