UN Chief welcomes Modi’s visit to Pakistan

Sirajul Haq, head of conservative Jamaat-i-Islami, said it was shocking that Mr. Modi was invited in Pakistan.

Modi said in Kabul that Afghanistan will benefit when terrorism is contained and doesn’t dictate the choices its citizens make.

Even on a Christmas Day, a number of think-tank and academicians expressed their views about Modi’s Lahore visit on the social media.

“Modi touched the feet of Sharif’s mother”, he said.

A Pakistani report on Saturday said they discussed Kashmir too.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry also considers it to be a good will visit by Modi.

“Narendra Modi’s unexpected visit to Pakistan has greatly hurt the sentiments of the loyal and patriotic people of the nation”, he said in a statement.

The information of the stopover was introduced by Modi on Twitter: “Looking ahead to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore at present afternoon, the place I will drop by on my means again to Delhi”. No Pakistani was allowed to talk to Modi directly in this duration.

That burst of personal diplomacy on Friday morning led to Modi’s sudden visit with Sharif in the Pakistani city of Lahore, taking both countries – and the world – by surprise. “As PM, he must (be) allowed risky decisions since buck stops with him”.

The comprehensive dialogue between Pakistan and India will eventually focus on all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir, he maintained. “The India-Pakistan story has many hard issues lingering for decades”. “It will definitely break the ice”.

Gupta said India was giving Mi-25 helicopters to Afghanistan and agreed to expand training opportunities for Afghan security and defense forces, and Prime Minister assured of all possible help in the development of infrastructure. It was Sharif’s birthday and also the occasion for his grand-daughter’s mehendi ceremony.

“We always believed Modi was a right wing politician”.

Former Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira also welcomed the visit of Indian Prime Minister.

“It’s a positive augury because there have been a series of meetings in the recent months and this just proves that there is traction”, said Uday Bhaskar, director at the Society for Policy Studies in New Delhi.

“Meeting of the two prime ministers, from secret Kathmandu one to Lahore one, must be through institutional frameworks with (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) MFA in the loop for sustainability”, he said.