‘Modi govt’s Pak policy an international joke’

NEW DELHI: As hostilities at the border escalated with fresh ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Congress on Saturday said India’s Pakistan policy under the Narendra Modi dispensation has become an “international joke”.

“The Prime Minister must spell out clearly what India has achieved by this so-called joint statement with Pakistan at Ufa... Pakistan has continued to backstab us in the last 15 months,” party spokesman RPN Singh told reporters.

Attacking Modi for his “prompt” acceptance of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s invite to visit the neighbouring country, Singh said he must explain to the nation what was the “tearing hurry” in taking the decision as Pakistan has not taken any action against the perpetrators of Mumbai attack.

“There have been more than 800 ceasefire violations. At least a dozen soldiers have lost their lives and 18 civilians have been killed since the time BJP came to power, but Modi has ignored all these sacrifices in order to register his so-called victory in the context of Pakistan policy,” he said.

He recalled that Manmohan Singh had not visited Pakistan even once in his ten-year long tenure as Prime Minister.

“The BJP with all its rhetoric on nationalism is failing to handle Jammu and Kashmir day by day and has adopted a completely directionless and embarrassing policy towards dealing with Pakistan,” he remarked.

Condemning attempts to disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir, he said Pakistani and ISIS flags were raised by protesters in Srinagar and Anantnag on Saturday.

“The same incident happened in Srinagar yesterday, when the Prime Minister was in Jammu,” he said.

Demanding strong action against such miscreants, the Congress leader said, “Any attempt to legitimise their cause by the state will expose the soft approach by the Modi gover nment towards such militants, who cannot be called Kashmiris.”