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Indian Prime Minister makes surprise visit to meet with Pakistani counterpart
Posted On Dec 25 2015
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Earlier, when Narendra Modi accompanied by a 120-member delegation reached Lahore airport, he was warmly welcomed by the Pakistani political leadership and high-ranking officials.
In light of his arrival and the meeting between the two leaders which is expected to last between one and two hours, special security arrangements have been put in place.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif received his Indian counterpart at the Allama Iqbal International.
Pakistani authorities on Friday put security on high alert in Lahore especially around the airport area following the announcement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s day-long visit to the city. He said he also called Sharif and wished him happy birthday.
The Foreign Office spokesman said: “The Indian Prime Minister will make a stopover in Lahore to meet Prime Minister of Pakistan, on his way back from Kabul”.
Meanwhile, officials said the visit was not planned and comes as a “surprise”.
But few in India and Pakistan knew about the programme, which came at a time when bilateral relations have shown definite improvement after months of tensions and border clashes. After her talks with Pakistan, she said both sides agreed to resume talks on several topics.
Incidently, today is Mr. Sharif’s birthday.
Ending his sudden visit to Pakistan, Indian PM Narendra Modi has left for India. The countries have fought three wars since 1947, two of them over Kashmir, the divided Himalayan territory that both countries claim in full. Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of the kingdom at the time, initially chose to remain independent but eventually opted to join India, thereby handing key powers to the central government in New Delhi.
The current visit of the India prime minister to Pakistan was entirely unexpected which has triggered a new debate filled with mixed response from various sections of the society in both the countries. “Why didn’t the prime minister take the country and parliament in confidence”, he questioned.
