Rajnath Singh insulted by Pakistan: Congress

The Congress on Friday said home minister Rajnath Singh was “insulted” by Pakistan at the just-concluded Saarc meet there, and came down hard on the Narendra Mod government for allowing it to happen.

“Such an insult had never been heaped on the Indian home minister in any bilateral or multilateral fora. It is a result of the flip-flops, U-turns and zigzag in India’s Pakistan policy which has never seen in the past 70 years,” party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

Noting that the Congress was “angry and saddened” by the manner in which the Indian home minister was treated, he said it showed that India’s foreign policy and, especially Pakistan policy, is “lying in tatters”.

The government has to be held accountable and it should share the blame, he said.

“India’s foreign policy is lying in tatters. We had no business to put ourselves in such positions where we can be embarrassed,” he said, wondering why no guarantees were sought by the Indian government before the home minister visited Pakistan.

Mr Singhvi contended that there have been Saarc meetings earlier as also the shadow of terrorism, “but never before have we seen such an insult against India”.

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif said in the meeting that Kashmir was witnessing a new wave of freedom movement, Mr Singhvi said and insisted that “never before had the Pakistan government dared talk like this”.

He said Pakistan routinely insults India, and the Modi government rolls out the “red carpet”.