PM Modi has failed to craft coherent policy towards Pak: Congress

Condemning Pakistan's blatant attempt to internationalise the sensitive situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress Party on Friday said the BJP-led NDA Government's policy towards Islamabad has been a continuing story of U-turns, summersaults and flip flops, which is undermining India's national security.

"Pakistan's blatant attempt to internationalise the very sensitive situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a situation in which they have been an agent propagator for over two and a half decades now needs to be condemned in the strongest term possible," said Congress leader Manish Tewari.

"The Government of India's policy towards Pakistan has been a continuing story of U-turns, summersaults and flip flops. And this unfortunately has undermined India's national security," he added.

Tewari said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must tell the nation about his correspondence with Pakistan when he visited Lahore and questioned the agenda behind the visit.

"There is unprecedented tension and firing both on the Line of Control and in border areas which had never been seen 10 years before. Then the PM decides to air drop in Lahore, why? Nobody knows till today. We would like to ask this government that the time has come for the Prime Minister to tell the nation that what did he achieve during his visit to Lahore six months ago. What is the discussion between the two NSAs which took place in Bangkok?" he added.

The former union minister further said the Prime Minister has failed to craft a coherent policy towards Pakistan.

"When was the last time that India heard a statement from the Secretary General of the United Nation on Kashmir? Throughout the 10 years of the UPA government, there was never an attempt to interfere. When was the last time when you heard the US talk about resolving Kashmir through talks between India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri people? It is absolutely a flagrant violation of the position that India has consistently taken that all issues with Pakistan will be sorted bilaterally," he added.

Stating the relationship between India and Pakistan is sensitive, Tewari advised the government to handle it maturely.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan will observe July 19 as a 'black day' to protest against what he described as 'Indian barbarism' in Jammu and Kashmir following the protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani.

Sharif proposed the observance of 'black day' while chairing a special meeting of his Cabinet in Lahore to discuss the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. His proposal was accepted by the Cabinet, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

Sharif and Pakistan's Foreign Ministry recently angered India by referring to Wani, a commander of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, as a 'Kashmiri leader' and describing his death as an 'extrajudicial killing'.

At least 37 people have died in the protests following Wani's killing last week.

India dismissed Pakistan's criticism of its handling of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and accused the Asian neighbour of using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.