Lucknow: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that he was taken by surprise to hear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on his way back to Delhi from Kabul.
"Yesterday, our Prime Minister made a surprise visit to Lahore while he was on his way to Delhi from Kabul. We were all surprised, as it was not a planned visit. But whatever he (PM Modi) did yesterday was commendable. Perhaps it has been never been observed, this type of diplomacy, around the world," Rajnath said, while addressing a public meeting here.
Rajnath also said that after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee it is Prime Minister Modi who has raised dignity of India infront of the world.
"In independent India, after Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji, if there is someone who has made the country proud and raised the dignity of the nation in front of the world it is Narendra Modi," he said.
In a surprise move, which was termed as 'birthday diplomacy', Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Lahore on his way back from Kabul yesterday afternoon. The public announcement of his visit was made by a tweet the PM put out towards the end of his stay in Kabul.
People on the social media hailed the Prime Minister's move as a significant development in the relationship between the two South Asian neighbours, even though the Opposition criticised it saying that the cost of his meals would be paid by the country in terms of national security.
Prime Minister Modi landed at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport on Christmas day, where he was received by his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
PM Modi's 150-minute visit to Pakistan was first by an Indian Prime Minister in 11 years.
