Islamabad: Pakistan's former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who made headlines for extending support to Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal during the Lok Sabha elections, has now called for "talks of friendship" with India after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won and Narendra Modi is set to become the third consecutive Indian Prime Minister on Sunday.
Chaudhry said on Saturday said the time is ripe for friendship between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on an equal basis, a day before Modi is set to take oath for a historic third term in New Delhi. The ex-information minister under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government said the incarcerated former PM Imran Khan and former Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa were "in favour of making friends with India".
The 48-year-old, who left PTI in 2023, was speaking at a seminar titled ‘Indian Election and its Effects on South Asia’ organised by the National Institute of Political Education in Islamabad. Pointing out that Indian Punjab is just a few kilometres away from here but Pakistanis have to take a flight via Dubai to go there, Chadhry said: “There should be no visa between the two countries. Now, the time has come that both archrivals need to talk of friendship on an equal basis.”
Chaudhry warned that India and Pakistan will encounter substantial water challenges in the Indus Basin over the next 15 years, therefore, they will have to talk to each other and said, “Failure to accomplish cooperation over the matter of water could result in the region becoming unstable.” However, the Pakistani leader also remarked that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may become the next PM of India, as the ideological divide between "extremist policies" of PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) indicates that a coalition unity breakdown is imminent.
'Modi needs to defeated': Chaudhry during Lok Sabha elections
Last month, before the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Fawad Chaudhry criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the Indian leader and his "extreme ideology" need to be defeated. He also conveyed his best wishes to Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in the elections.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Chaudhry said, "India should move ahead as a progressive country, and that is why Narendra Modi and his extreme ideology need to be defeated. Whoever defeats him, whether it's Rahul Ji, Kejriwal Ji, or Mamata Banerjee, best wishes to them."
Chaudhry said everyone in Pakistan wanted PM Narendra Modi to lose the elections and that India's benefit lies in establishing good relations with its neighbouring country. "The benefit of the Indian voter lies in having a good relationship with Pakistan. India should move ahead as a progressive nation," he said.
The Pakistani leader's remarks came in response to PM Modi's comments on Monday, where he called for an investigation into consistent messages of support from Pakistan for some Indian political leaders. "I don't understand why some select group of people, apparently those who harbour animosity against us, get endorsements from Pakistan, why voices of support emanate from there for certain individuals," the PM said in an interview with IANS.
PM Modi will assume office as prime minister for a third consecutive term as the BJP-led NDA secured 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. In the 543-strong lower house of the Indian parliament, 272 is the minimum majority figure. He is the second leader after first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to win a third consecutive term.
'Not fond of Rahul Gandhi or Kejriwal': Chaudhry
Reacting to PM Modi's remarks, Chaudhry took to social media platform X and said that he had "no fondness" for Rahul Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal, but he strongly stood against extremists. He accused the Indian leader of becoming a "symbol of hatred and extremism" and remarked that Muslims of India are facing extreme hatred due to the rise of Hindu Mahasabha.
"(The) founders of Pak made a promise to stand for rights of Muslims living in India. It’s unfortunate Govt of Pak is not playing its role but in whatever capacity I'll speak for Muslim rights in India and one aspect is forces of hatred must be defeated and the RSS+BJP nexus of hatred and extremism must be defeated and anyone who defeats them will earn global respect," he added.
It is highly unusual for Pakistani politicians to speak on Indian elections, as most leaders refrain from making remarks on the matter. However, during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in India, Chaudhry came out in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who cast his vote along with his family on Saturday. Notably, Chaudhry had supported Kejriwal after he received bail in the money laundering case linked to alleged liquor excise policy.
Before that, he heaped praise on Rahul Gandhi earlier over his party's promise of conducting a wealth redistribution survey, if it was voted to power. He compared Rahul Gandhi with his great-grandfather and India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and said "both were socialists".
(with inputs from agencies)
