We all rolled on the floor and laughed on seeing the late Jaspal Bhatti conducting an “official meeting” on his famous “Flop Show” on the Doordarshan and its “conclusive decision” to meet again on the same topic.
Nothing concrete has emerged out of the Birthday-Biryani diplomacy in Lahore.
Yet, I may not like to liken the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as yet another Jaspal Bhatti’s spoof on meetings, though it may sound similar with both the leaders expressing a desire to “continue the dialogue”.
Has Narendra Modi pulled a fast one on Pakistan or India? Was it really an impromptu pit-stop Modi pulled out of his hat or was it a premeditated “brief” visit?
Given the visit of Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan for a “Heart of Asia” summit very recently naturally led to raising of many an eye-brow, after the Indian Air Force aircraft has chosen to land at Lahore airport.
This was actually close on the heel of a meeting between National Security Advisors of India and Pakistan Ajit Dowal and Nasir Janjua respectively at Bangkok some time ago, that has come to be known to the world as a “top secret” meeting.
Now one doesn’t need to wrack his brains to understand the camaraderie between Modi and Nawaz Sharif. They may wear a belligerent posture for obvious “external” and obliviously “internal” reasons. But, their earlier meeting at Nepal, which was meant to be secret, too was talked about as the one organised by steel baron Sajjan Jindal.
The Friday’s meeting and greeting by Modi is dubbed as “innovative diplomacy” by the BJP. But the Congress scoffed it off as just an eyewash and an attempt to grab headlines.
Well, there have been umpteen meetings outside India, including as latest as in Paris on the sidelines of Climate Summit, between the leaders of the two nations, beginning with Sharif gracing the swearing-in of Modi as the Prime Minister of India.
So, Modi must be nursing a plan for quite some time to “surprise” every one, some pleasantly and some others ostensibly irritatingly. Former Foreign Minister Anand Sharma of the Congress doubted whether Sushma Swaraj was at least in the know of the “surprise” visit. That Arnab Goswami brushed aside as a jibe is a different story (Ref: Times Now dialogue with Anand Sharma where Goswami was only talking with utmost composure, and not shouting. Should we credit Sharma for this?)
Some one has to check if there is a Prime Minister who was present in four different nations indulging in high-decibel diplomacy on a single day, before the short hand in a 24-hour clock completes its single revolution. If no, Modi is sure to gobble up the record for this. For, he was in Moscow this morning, inaugurated Parliament House in Kabul in Afghanistan later and stopped over at Lahore to greet Nawaz Sharif on his birthday which synced with the birth anniversary of Pakistan’s father of the the nation, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and returned to Delhi. Modi in all greeted three birthday boys on Friday — Hamid Karzai, Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Selective leaks about the “Veg Biryani – Kashmiri Chai” diplomacy are just now tricking in. Modi reportedly “revealed” to Sharif that he would be stopping over at Lahore “only at 11.30 am,” ensuring that Sharif doesn’t fail in receiving him at the airport and also playing host to him over lunch.
In doing so, Modi wowed a huge constituency in India which is by now addicted to lauding whatever he does. They may deliriously gloat over the “great gesture” by the Prime Minister and try to portray it as the “mother of all diplomatic achievements”.
Now, the backroom boys of the Prime Minister are busy compiling the list of praisers and cursers.
Whatever, Kashmir again remained only in the “chai” (pe charcha). Other petulant issues could be ironed out through dialogue and India and Pakistan should stay engaged have become too much of a beaten track for anyone to hear.
Whether it is bravado or a welcome gesture, Modi has indeed pulled a fast one on India. The country and the Parliament are unaware of his visit to Lahore.
Now, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations should consider Narendra Modi unanimously for the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, making him only the third Indian to get it after Indira Gandhi and Aruna Asaf Ali.
For now, Arun Jaitley, who is staring at the “Third Umpire” over the outcome of Kirti Azad’s googly on DDCA, must be thanking his stars what with Modi’s visit to Pakistan stole the headline space.
Today is the birthday of Jesus Christ. Thank God It’s Friday.
