Prime Minister Narendra Modi made short visit to Pakistan

Adviser to prime minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz said it was unplanned brief stopover of Modi in Lahore on his way back to New Delhi.

Mistrust between India and Pakistan runs deep. Lahore trip of Modi was in fact the culmination of a bout of diplomatic engagements between the two South Asian neighbours across almost a month, following what was seemingly an impromptu meeting between Modi and Sharif on the sidelines of the Paris climate summit on November 30.

Narendra Modi had gifted a pink turban to Nawz on his surprise visit to Pakistan on Friday.

It was Sharif’s 66th birthday and the family home was festooned with lights for his grand-daughter’s wedding on Saturday.

After Modi’s departure from Lahore, Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said: “It was a goodwill visit and the two sides made a decision to understand each other’s reservations and restart the comprehensive dialogue in a positive manner”.

The quiet involvement of Pakistan’s powerful military in its foreign policy this year paved the way for reviving a stalled dialogue with India, officials said, a thaw leading to the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in nearly 12 years. He said Modi and 11 of his personal staff members were given a 72-hour visa, and the full immigration process was followed in this regard.

Affirming that it was wrong to think that reservoirs of knowledge are confined to only some cities, the Prime Minister said the youth with abilities are spread all over the country. He refused to share any further details. The two leaders were later shown sitting together in a room looking happy and relaxed.

He demanded action on terrorism, with Delhi viewing Pakistan as harbouring terrorists that target India, and progress in the trial of seven Pakistani suspects of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Seeking to boost entrepreneurship at the grassroots level, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the Action Plan of the “Start-up India, Stand-up India” will be unveiled on January 16 and urged the states to help spread this campaign across the country’s nook and corner. “This is the best Christmas gift to the mankind which believes in peace and amity. If FDI was coming we would be welcoming it with both hands”, he added.

They spoke in Hindi on “insulating talks” from setbacks and on the just-resumed dialogue process that will see a meeting of their foreign secretaries on Jan 15 in Islamabad.

The two countries were born out of British colonial India in 1947, divided into Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. More than 68,000 people have been killed in ongoing Kashmir violence, which began in 1989. Pakistan promised foolproof security at the Lahore airport and assured a Pak Air Force Chopper would fly both PMs to Raiwind and back. Now you have an app which can ensure that there is communication with people in India.