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| Image: Flickr User - MEAphotogallery |
By Sanjay Kumar
What was behind Narendra Modi’s foreign policy stunt in Lahore?
Political showmanship has assumed a new meaning in the Indian subcontinent. Photos of the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, hugging and walking hand-in-hand with his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, send a powerful message that words cannot convey. These pictures might have some profound implications, potentially signaling the warming of a relationship that has been frozen since the center-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government assumed power in Delhi in May 2014. The unannounced visit by the Indian premier to Pakistan, the first in over a decade, and the surprising display of camaraderie in full view of cameras, might promise a new era of engagement between the two South Asian neighbors.
However, while the images seem promising for the bilateral, they have not reassured everyone. Observers in India and Pakistan wonder whether this is just another one of Modi’s publicity stunts. The Indian premier has become famous for his political showmanship.
Modi landed in Lahore unannounced on December 25, after a state visit to Kabul, Afghanistan. Never before had an Indian leader visited Pakistan in such a dramatic and unexpected way. It was widely known that Modi would make a stopover in Afghanistan on his way back to India after a visit to Russia. However, his visit to Lahore was completely unexpected. During his brief stay in Lahore, the Indian leader not only congratulated Sharif on his birthday, but also blessed the wedding of the Pakistani prime minister’s granddaughter.
Although the official version of events in Lahore says that this trip was planned on short notice, some reports in the Indian media are claiming that it was planned well in advance. The world is still clueless as to how and why New Delhi decided to abandon its 13-year-old policy in favor of a complete overhaul of the relationship with its traditional rival.
Read the full story at The Diplomat