Decemebr 25, 2015
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unscheduled pit stop in Lahore on Friday while returning to Delhi from Afghanistan.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif received Modi at the Lahore airport where the two leaders exchanged a hug as Modi wished Sharif on his birthday.
Decemebr 25, 2015
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unscheduled pit stop in Lahore on Friday while returning to Delhi from Afghanistan.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif received Modi at the Lahore airport where the two leaders exchanged a hug as Modi wished Sharif on his birthday.
The two then went to Sharif's ancestral home, the Raiwind Palace, where they held talks for nearly an hour. While there was no official agenda, the two leaders agreed to strengthen ties between India and Pakistan.
Sharif accompanied Modi back to the Lahore airport to see him off.
Hailing Modi's visit, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said the two neighbors needed to inject informality in their relations, as is the case in many places of the world like the EU and ASEAN.
"PM Modi's sudden stop over at Lahore to greet Pakiatan 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.
"What better day than the birthday of Atalji for this path-breaking departure!," Madhav, who plays an important role in shaping the party's views on external affairs, tweeted.
The visit came more than two weeks after Modi and Sharif had an unscheduled meeting at climate change talks in Paris. The agenda of the meeting is not known but the two leaders are expected to discuss major issues which have rocked ties between the two countries.
The relations between India and Pakistan have witnessed some positive developments after chill for several months. The two countries recently decided to launch a comprehensive dialogue after Modi-Sharif meet in Paris.
"That's like a statesman," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted about the surprise visit by Modi. "One should have such relations with the neighbors," she added.
The last visit to Pakistan by an Indian prime minister was in 2004 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose 91st birthday fell today and who is credited with bringing about a thaw in relations with Islamabad.
Courtesy: IBN
