Indian PM arrives in Pakistan for surprise visit

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s surprise move to meet Pakistani president Nawaz Sharif enroute from Kabul kept social media users busy on Friday.

Prime Minister Sharif along with his brother Shahbaz Sharif, were present at the airport to greet Prime Minister Modi.

That burst of personal diplomacy Friday led to Modi’s sudden visit with Sharif in the Pakistani city of Lahore, taking both countries – and the world – by surprise. His trip coincided with the birthday of Sharif who happened to be in Lahore instead of the capital, Islamabad. To which Sharif agreed, and arrangements were made to receive the guest at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore.

The two foreign secretaries are set to meet in January, also in the Pakistani capital.

“Afghanistan will succeed only when terrorism no longer flows across the border, when nurseries and sanctuaries of terrorism are shut, and, their patrons are no longer in business”, Mr Modi said.

Mr John Kirby, spokesman for the US State Department, said the visit was a welcome one.

“And, all of us in the region – India, Pakistan, Iran and others – must unite… behind this common goal”, Mr Modi said.

Qazi Khalilullah gave no further details of the visit expected on Friday afternoon. He refused to share any details.

“Am personally touched by Nawaz Sharif Sahab’s gesture of welcoming me at Lahore airport and coming to the airport when I left”, Modi said in a tweet after returning to New Delhi.

“It’s an extremely welcome move and it shows that the baby steps promised at the Paris summit between the two prime ministers have transformed into a much bigger step, which holds big promise for both countries”, said Imtiaz Gul, head of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.

“Traditional build-up to an Indian PM’s visit to Pakistan would have seen different interest groups bringing all kinds of pressure to bear”, The Times of India said.

An Indian citizen, Manoj Mehra tweeted: “Pakistan still killing our soldiers, civilians, fishermen”.

Akhtar also said that he firmly believes that this is the beginning of a sustained uninterruptable dialogues.

Tarun Vijay, a spokesman for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party, praised Modi’s visit as a sign of statesmanship.

Yet members of the opposition Congress party denounced the “unpredictable” act saying it lacked gravitas, with some complaining that such an important meeting should not have been announced on Twitter. It should have been a proper structured state visit.

The visit, requested by Modi just hours earlier before he flew back home from Afghanistan, raised hopes that stop-and-start negotiations between the nuclear-armed neighbors might finally make progress after three wars and more than 65 years of hostility.

India has also alleged that Pakistani militants were behind terror raids on its soil this year, which Islamabad denied.

Modi, a Hindu nationalist, came to power in 2014, and has authorized a more robust approach to Pakistan, giving security forces the licence to retaliate forcefully along their disputed border and demanding an end to insurgent attacks in Indian territory.

Sources said Pak PM Sharif’s mother came to the hall where both premiers were holding the meeting along with his other family members. “Instead of being hostage to the past let’s look forward to saner, better relations in the future”, she said.

It’s the closest thing to a Christmas miracle for India-Pakistan relations. Saeed lives openly in Pakistan and often appears on TV interviews; the government claims it lacks the evidence to charge him.