'Stop embarrassing India': Cong to Modi on Indo-Pak ties

Congress today mounted a strident attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over relationship with Pakistan and asked him to "stop embarrassing India" as it advocated a "wait and watch" policy regarding talks with the neighbouring country in the wake of Pathankot terror attack.

Alleging that Modi government has mastered the art of taking "unauthorized U-turns", party spokesperson Kapil Sibal ridiculed its functioning saying the government was "not realizing that such u-turns only lead to accidents."

"That is why Pathankot has become Pareshan (disturbed) kot," he said. Taking potshots at the Prime Minister over his surprise visit to Lahore some time back and other steps on foreign policy, Sibal said Modi is trying to "make history without learning from history".

"Instead of trying to make history, Modi should learn from it. Once bitten twice shy is an age-old adage. We have been bitten not once but several times and yet the immature handling of Pakistan has belittled the stature of the office Mr.Modi holds. The mindless wooing of Pakistan is bound to result in betrayal.

"The government has no cohesive Pakistan policy. It has failed to stop cross-border infiltrations, whose number has crossed over a thousand since this government came to power," Sibal said.

Recalling that Modi met his Pakistani counterpart in Ufa, in Paris and a third time in Lahore as a willing invitee to Nawaz Sharif’s birthday and family wedding, the Congress spokesperson said,"acceptance of such an informal invitation without any preparatory homework is unbecoming of a Prime Minister, who has exposed himself to ridicule after yet another betrayal by Pakistan at Pathankot. "

Sounding dismissive of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's overtures after the Pathankot attack, Sibal said that India has given such documents to Pakistan many times and hence "we must wait and watch what Pakistan is going to offer us because Pakistan has let us down on many occassions."

Noting that Modi and his "Bhakts" may term his presence at a family event as out of the box diplomacy, Sibal alleged,"it is in reality mindless diplomacy".

"Modi’s uncharacteristic surprises often end up embarrassing the nation. We would like to know, what the country has gained from the meeting of NSAs at Bangkok and Modi’s immature decision to drop-in at Lahore on his way back from Kabul," he said.

Since May 2014, Modi’s Pakistan policy is "confused, lacks continuity and is bereft of institutional guidance". That is why the Minister of Foreign Affairs is sidelined and none of the other senior ministers are privy of what he is up to. Modi’s Pakistan policy is like an unguided missile which creates a spectacle when fired but loses trajectory and inevitably crash-lands.  Stop embarrassing India," Sibal said.