Modi accuses Pakistan and Congress of collusion; Islamabad says ‘don’t drag us’

NEWS DESK: As absurd as that may sound, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused its opposition party Indian National Congress of colluding with Pakistan to defeat his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Gujarat polls. Naturally, Pakistan had to respond.

Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, in a tweet, requested that Pakistan should not to be dragged into domestic electoral battles of the neighboring country.

India should stop dragging Pakistan into its electoral debate and win victories on own strength rather than fabricated conspiracies, which are utterly baseless and irresponsible.

— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) December 11, 2017

He further said that Modi’s allegations – of a recent “secret three-hour meeting” attended by Congress and Pakistani officials – are “fabricated conspiracies, which are utterly baseless and irresponsible”.

According to Times of India, Modi claimed on Sunday – without furnishing proof – that a meeting took place recently in (now suspended) Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s house that was attended by Pakistan’s high commissioner, its former foreign minister, former PM Manmohan Singh, and former Vice-President Hamid Ansari.

Last week, Modi accused Aiyar of putting out a hit on him while on a visit to Pakistan to ensure peace between India and Pakistan.

The Congress hit back at Modi, saying that it was actually the BJP that is really colluding with Pakistan, whose government gave Pakistani intelligence officials access to the country’s top air force base in Pathankot after a terror attack there.

“If he wants to fight the Gujarat elections in Pakistan, I want to ask who who invited people from the (Pakistani intelligence agency) ISI to come to one of India’s most important defence bases in Pathankot,” asked Congress spokesman RS Surjewala.

He was referring to Pakistan’s joint investigation team – including an official from ISI – being given access to the Pathankot airbase in March 2016. The access was purportedly to help Pakistan complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack which took place in January last year.

The Congress also wondered “who really has Pakistan love” considering the PM dashed off to that country on an unplanned visit, on an event in then PM Nawaz Sharif’s family.

“After terror attacks in Udhampur (August 2015) and Gurdaspur (July 2015), who went like the proverbial uninvited guest to Pakistan to attend the wedding of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s granddaughter?” asked Surjewala, referring to the Indian PM’s shock Christmas 2015 trip to Lahore.

The Congress said that such blatantly false allegations didn’t behoove the office of the Prime Minister.

Surjewala accused Modi of “spinning such fantasies” because he is worried that the BJP is going to fare poorly in Gujarat.

“Gujarat elections should be fought on issues, but there the PM has no leg to stand on and he’s scared, that’s why he’s making the kind of allegations that have neither head nor tail,” said Surjewala.