From the US to the UN to China to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise lahore stopover has been welcomed globally even as the BJP on Saturday termed his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif as a “transformative moment in the sub-continent” and a move that required “courage”. A US media report maintained that Modi has “pressed the reset button on the blow-hot-blow-cold relationship” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“We welcome the December 25 meeting between PM Modi and PM (Nawaz) Sharif. Better relations between neighbours, India and Pakistan, will benefit the people of the entire region,” US State Department spokesman John Kirby said, responding to a question on Modi’s surprise visit to lahore, where he held talks with Sharif.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon too welcomed the meeting between the two leaders, hoping that the bilateral dialogue will be maintained and strengthened further.
“The Secretary General has long been encouraging both leaders of the two countries to engage in dialogue. He obviously welcomes this visit and this step in the right direction and he hopes that the dialogue will be maintained and strengthened,” a UN spokesperson told PTI when asked about the UN chief’s response to Modi’s visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in more than a decade.
Modi stayed for over two hours in lahore on his way back home from Afghanistan on Friday during which he held talks with Sharif at his Raiwind house. It was Sharif’s birthday and also the occasion for his grand-daughter’s mehendi ceremony.
China joined the list of those welcoming Modi’s gesture saying improvement in Indo-Pak ties is significant for regional peace, stability and development.
“The Chinese side has noticed the report and welcomes the latest development in the India-Pakistan relationship,” Foreign Ministry spokesman lu Kang said, adding the two are important countries in south Asia and the improvement of their relationship will be significant to regional peace, stability and development.
“As the common neighbour and friend of both Pakistan and India, China is happy to see and will support, as always, Pakistan and India to enhance mutual trust and achieve common development through continuous dialogue,” he added.
The BJP rejected Congress’ criticism of Modi’s visit as “childish” and said it has provided yet another opportunity to write a new chapter in
the difficult Indo-Pak relationship. The Congress has alleged that it was a “pre-arranged” meeting arranged by a steel magnate and that Modi’s visit was only to promote private business interests.
But hailing Modi for his “courage, vision, skill and imagination”, the BJP said pursuit of peace in the complex region with its history of fraught ties between the two countries required such courage.
BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar maintained that it required “two authors reading from the same page” to write a new chapter while asserting that the peace process between the two neighbours has been revived in an “extraordinary” manner.
Warm personal relation between Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif is “symptomatic” of the “diplomatic thaw” that has taken place, he said.
Pakistan’s major political parties like PPP, Tehreek-i-Insaf and Awami National Party also welcomed Modi’s surprise visit to lahore, saying it was a “new beginning of relations” and will help improve ties between the two countries.
The mainstream American media lauded Modi’s visit saying it is likely to add momentum to a tentative reconciliation process between them. The CNN said it is a significant sign that the icy relationship between the two neighbours is thawing.
quoting analysts as saying that the possibility of the meeting was probably kept hidden till the last minute “to prevent irrational expectations and acrimony that often accompany such a diplomatic move”, the The Washington Post said Modi has “pressed the reset button on the blow-hot-blow-cold relationship” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, paving the way for official dialogue to resume next month.
The Wall Street Journal said Modi’s surprise move is “likely to add momentum to a tentative reconciliation process” between the nuclear-armed neighbours, while The Chicago Tribune noted it as “potential sign of thawing” relations.
It is “the biggest surprise of all” of Modi’s diplomatic moves since he came to power on May 26, 2014 for which he had invited leaders of the South Asian countries, the Time magazine wrote.
“It’s the first trip to the country by an Indian head of state in a decade - and could be a sign of improving relations between the two neighbours,” the popular National Public Radio said.
According to The los Angeles Times, with his lahore visit Modi “breathed new life into a long troubled” relationship. And The New York Times, which quite often has been critical of the Prime Minister, while underscoring the significance of Modi’s impromptu trip to lahore said the Indian leader in the past has moved from one policy to the other and described it as “a diplomatic dance”.
Twitter -- where the Prime Minister first informed the world about his visit to lahore -- was abuzz with his decision to meet Sharif. All major American news outlets took to Twitter and other modes including SMS and emails to inform their readers about the breaking news from South Asia.
Even on a Christmas Day, a number of think-tank and academicians expressed their views about Modi’s lahore visit on the social media.
South Asia expert Michael Kugelman of the Woodrow Wilson Center commented on Twitter: “Caveats about past history aside, no matter how you slice it, #ModiInlahore is a seminal and milestone moment for the Subcontinent. Bravo.”
In a series of tweets, Kugelman also noted: “Rather ironic (& political) that Congress Party lambasting #ModiInlahore. Took very different position on Pak, in 2011-12, when in power.”