JD(U) ‘shocked’ by Prime Minister Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Lahore on a surprise visit, opposition JD(U) said it was “stunned” by the decision, especially in the wake of violations by the neighbouring country on the border, including the beheading of an Indian jawan.

The party said that “friendship and betrayal cannot go hand in hand” as it reacted sharply to the surprise announcement by Modi as he prepared to wind up his brief visit to Afghanistan today.

“I am stunned and shocked. At this moment, I can think of beheaded Hemraj,” said JD(U) leader KC Tyagi. Lance Naik Hemraj was killed and beheaded by Pakistani soldiers on January 8 last year in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. That incident and a series of ceasefire violations plunged India-Pakistan ties to a new low that year.

The ties between India and Pakistan have witnessed some positive developments, however, after a chill of several months. The two countries recently decided to launch a comprehensive dialogue after Modi and Sharif met in Paris recently.

But Tyagi said in the wake of Modi’s surprise move that “nothing is going to improve unless the leaders of Pakistan change their mindset. Pakistan should know that friendship with India on one hand and betrayal on the other cannot go together.” 

Meanwhile, Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah said New Delhi’s engagement with Pakistan is a good step but called for consistency in the process instead of “grand gestures”.