Prime Minister Narendra Modi sprang a surprise on Friday by landing in lahore on his way back from Kabul to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Modi himself broke the news about his visit to Pakistan when he tweeted on Friday afternoon, “Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & wished him on his birthday. looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi.”
Modi landed in Allama Iqbal International Airport in lahore where he was received by Sharif with a warm hug and flowers. The two leaders flew to Sharif’s palatial residence of Jati Umra Raiwind, which is some 20 km from the airport, in a chopper making it the first time that any two leaders of the two countries were travelling together. They spent about 80 minutes during which Modi greeted family members at the marriage function of Sharif’s grand-daughter Mehrun Nisa at the latter’s Raiwind home. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and other Indian officials too were present. Sharif later came to see off Modi at the airport.
“Breakfast in Kabul, tea in lahore & dinner in Delhi! PM @narendramodi returns after a unique day in Indian diplomacy,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted to sum up Modi’s three-nation tour. Swarup said the visit to Pak and the talks were aimed at infusing a “positive spirit” in the neighbourhood. Indian sources said the idea of a visit emanated from a conversation between the two Prime Ministers on Friday morning when Modi called Sharif from Kabul to greet him on his 66th birthday.
Modi is the first PM to visit Pakistan in 11 years after Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s trip in 2004. This was Modi-Sharif’s third meeting this year — Ufa in June, Paris in November and now lahore.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hailed Modi’s visit to Pakistan on Twitter and said that the PM acted like a statesman.
“That’s like a statesman. Padosi se aise hi rishte hone chahiyen (This is how relations should be with the neighbours),” Sushma tweeted on the news of Modi’s visit to lahore to meet his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
Sushma, who went to receive Modi at the airport upon his arrival in New Delhi, was seen engaged in a discussion with the PM which is not the usual sight.
Pakistan described Modi’s stopover here as a “goodwill visit” and said the two leaders discussed about the comprehensive dialogue which the two countries have recently decided to start. “The two leaders decided to take forward the dialogue process... It was agreed that foreign secretaries will meet in Islamabad next month,” Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chowdhury.
Chowdhury said the two premiers agreed to “open ways for peace and better atmosphere”, while understanding each other’s concerns.
“Both leaders expressed their desire to carry forward the dialogue process for larger good of peoples of the two countries,” Spokesperson of Pakistan’s Foreign Office said. “The two Prime Ministers agreed to continue and enhance contacts and work together to establish good neighbourly relations,” the spokesperson said in another tweet.
While Modi-Sharif surprise meeting has invoked mixed reactions, what
is interesting is the fact that Modi is increasingly breaking away from the conventional format of having only formal talks with Pakistan.
The lahore visit is a clear indication that the two leaders are keen to engage with each other and for that a personal touch to the relationship is important.
In fact, it was only due to this personal engagement with Sharif in Paris that Modi could break the ice in India-Pak talks. As a result the National Security Advisers met for talk in Bangkok. This was immediately followed by Suhma’s visit to Islamabad for Heart of Asia Summit talks on Afghanistan where the two countries announced the decision to begin the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue with each other. Foreign Secretaries of the two sides will meet next month to chalk out the roadmap for this. What is interesting is the fact that after a year of sharp exchanges -- both by words and guns -- the two countries have decided to re-engage with each other positively.
While most of the political groups, including separatists, have hailed Modi’s lahore visit, Congress attacked Modi for his “unscheduled” visit to Pakistan and alleged it was not for promoting India’s national interest but to promote private business interests. “We are very clear that the Prime Minister is there to promote only private business interests and not India’s national interest which should be supreme. Diplomacy is serious. It must have gravitas and predictability. It cannot be frivolous, otherwise it will implode on Shri Narendra Modi’s face,” Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.