In a statement that is bound to trigger a fresh controversy, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday showered praise on Pakistan and accused the BJP of spreading misinformation.
"People here say Pakistanis are facing injustice and are unhappy but that is not true. Such statements are being made only for political gains without understanding the actual situation in Pakistan," he said at a meeting of minority committees convened by his party.
The NCP founder-president, who had been the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and had served the Centre handling portfolios like defence and agriculture, said that he had visited Pakistan on many occasions and he was accorded hospitality.
"Pakistanis believe that even if they can't go to India to meet their relatives, they treat an Indian as their relative," the former Maharashtra chief minister was quoted saying.
The comments came at a time of heightened diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan and infiltration attempts after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir. The tension between the two South Asian neighbours has been building up since the Pulwama terror attack and subsequent airstrike in Balakot.