MORE ROADS WILL OPEN IN FUTURE, SAYS PAK OFFICIAL

NEW DELHI: The agreement between the Indian and Pakistani armies on the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) is the outcome of “behind the scenes” contacts and “more roads will open” in future, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s key advisor on security affairs said on Thursday.

Moeed Yusuf, who holds the post of special assistant to Khan on national security and strategic policy planning, said in an audio statement released in Islamabad that the ceasefire, which began at midnight on February 24, is a “very solid and positive” development and should be welcomed. “So when people ask what is the [Pakistan] government’s policy and what is it doing on Kashmir, and nothing is happening, they should realise that such things are done behind the scenes. Lots of effort is being made,” Yusuf said. “This is our success and the success of diplomacy and, God willing, more roads will open in the future.”

India’s national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Moeed Yusuf have been in touch directly and via interlocutors from the intelligence community, and the joint statement was the first outcome of these conversations that included at least one face-to-face meeting in a third country.

Yusuf appeared to be alluding to these conversations when he spoke of things being done “behind the scenes”.

PUDUCHERRY: Attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent ‘north-south’ remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday alleged the party’s policy was to “divide, lie and rule.” Not mincing words, he said the Congress culture of feudal politics, dynasty politics, patronage politics was ending and people all over the country were rejecting the party.

He also expressed shock over Gandhi’s contention that there was no ‘dedicated’ fisheries ministry. “...They are gold, silver and bronze medal winners in telling lies,” Modi said addressing a public meeting in pollbound Puducherry, as he said people of the union territory were celebrating the “freedom from misgovernance of Congress.”

Modi hit out at former Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, implying he headed a ‘high command’ government that served the interests of a few Congress leaders in Delhi. He also slammed him for “lying” about the complaint made by a woman against the government during the Congress leader’s visit here a fortnight ago.

Pitching Puducherry as a region with potential in various sectors, he said the NDA wanted to make it the BEST, saying the acronym meant the UT being a hub of Business, Education, Spirituality and Tourism.

Training his guns against the Congress, whose party-led government fell on Monday after it was reduced to minority in the wake of resignations, he said “the congress culture you saw in Puducherry for five years is how the party works nationally.”

“Our colonial rulers had the policy of divide and rule. Congress has a policy of divide, lie and rule. Sometimes their leaders put region against region, sometimes they put community against community.” “They are gold, silver and bronze medal winners in telling lies,” he said, apparently referring to Gandhi’s recent statement in Kerala.

During his Kerala visit on Tuesday, Gandhi had said he was used to a “different type of politics” in north India and coming to the southern state was “very refreshing” as people are interested in “issues”, which drew condemnation from the BJP, whose leaders accused him of an opportunistic anti-North bias. Modi also took on Gandhi over his statement that there was no ‘dedicated’ fisheries ministry at the Centre, adding the NDA government had set it up in 2019.