Modi government was right to boycott Pakistan National Day celebration in Delhi | The Indian Express

Modi government was right to boycott Pakistan National Day celebration in Delhi | The Indian Express

Written by K P Nayar |Updated: March 27, 2019 9:05:07 am

The writer is a regular participant in Track 1.5 and Track II global dialogues on regional security, in particular on Afghanistan-Pakistan-India engagement

Modi government was right to boycott Pakistan National Day celebration in Delhi

Pakistan’s national day receptions held in a hostile environment have not promoted bilateral relations with India. The Modi government has shown realism in calling this spade a spade.

The Modi government has shown realism in calling this spade a spade.

The Pakistan National Day reception at their High Commission in New Delhi had been an irritant in bilateral relations for so long that it is best the Narendra Modigovernment finally drew the curtains on Indian participation in the celebration last week. For decades, so much thought has been wasted within the Indian government on this one event and successive ministers, foreign secretaries, joint secretaries in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and personnel of intelligence agencies have lost sleep over how to handle this reception year after year.