In Impromptu Trip, Indian's Modi Visits Home of Pakistan's Sharif
- Ayaz Gul
- Dec 25, 2015
- 3 min read
In this photo released by Press Information Department, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, reviews a guard of honor with his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, in Lahore, Pakistan, Dec. 25, 2015.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN—Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a brief stopover Friday in Pakistan — the first time in 12 years that an Indian prime minister had visited the rival country — and held talks with his counterpart, Nawaz Sharif.
Modi landed in Lahore on the way back to India after visiting Afghanistan. Sharif received him at the airport, and the two leaders were flown by helicopter to Sharif’s sprawling residence in Raiwind, outside Lahore, for an hourlong meeting. Immediately afterward, Sharif saw Modi off at the airport.
Pakistan’s foreign secretary, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, who attended the meeting, told reporters the discussions were held in “a cordial and positive atmosphere.”
He said the Indian prime minister had telephoned Sharif late Friday morning and expressed “his desire” to undertake the “goodwill” visit, and the Pakistani prime minister had welcomed the initiative as an important step to bring their rival nations closer.
Chaudhry said the two leaders agreed to carry forward the recently resumed bilateral dialogue and work together to establish good relations. He said Modi also wished his Pakistani counterpart a happy 66th birthday.
Relations between the nuclear neighbors have been strained for the entirety of Pakistan's existence, after it split off from India in 1947, both gaining independence from Britain.
The two nations have fought three wars since then, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir, which is ruled in part by each but claimed in entirety by both.
Sharif and Modi revived high-level contact between India and Pakistan with a brief conversation two weeks ago on the sidelines of an international conference in Paris.
Analysts said the visit was an important development.
"I think it is going to play a significant role in improving ties between the two South Asian archrivals," said Amanullah Memon, a professor of international relations at a private university in the capital, Islamabad.
A close aide to Modi told Reuters that the visit was the result of a spontaneous decision by the prime minister and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and that it should not be seen as a sudden shift in India's position.
"But, yes, it's a clear signal that active engagement can be done at a quick pace," the aide said, declining to be identified.
Narendra Modi (L) Indian Prime Minister and Nawaz Sharif (R) Pakistani Prime Minister.
While in Afghanistan earlier Friday, Modi addressed Afghan lawmakers and called for greater regional cooperation to help the war-ravaged country overcome its security and economic challenges.
“When Afghanistan becomes a haven of peace and hub for the flow of ideas, commerce, energy and investment in the region, we will also prosper together. ... That is why I hope that Pakistan will become a bridge between South Asia and Afghanistan and beyond," Modi said. "I hope that the day will come soon when energy from Central Asia will power prosperity in our region.”
It is widely perceived that Pakistan and India are engaged in a proxy war on Afghan soil in their bid to influence developments in Afghanistan. Islamabad dismisses the impression, and Modi on Friday also tried to allay those fears.
“You know that India is here to contribute, not to compete; to lay the foundations of the future, not light the flame of conflict; to rebuild lives, not destroy a nation,” he said.
He said Afghanistan's success would require support of each of its neighbors. In that list he included not just India and Pakistan, but also Iran "and others" in the region as Afghanistan fights terrorism and works to establish a strong government.
The recent thaw in India-Pakistan ties is seen as key to promoting regional peace and economic stability.
Pakistani, Afghan and Indian leaders gathered in Turkmenistan this month to jointly open construction work on a multibillion-dollar pipeline for transporting natural gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.
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