Why didn't PM Narendra Modi raise Kulbhushan Jadhav, LoC issues with Nawaz Sharif: Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress today took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why he did not raise the issues of Kulbhushan Jadhav and ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control when he met Nawaz Sharif at Astana.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said Modi had asked the Pakistan prime minister about his and his mother's health, instead of giving a befitting reply to him for killing Indian soldiers.

She said Modi had in 2014 questioned the dialogue with Pakistan when soldiers were being killed, but when it came to asking tough questions, he only queried about Sharif's health.

"I want to ask the Prime Minister, when he spoke about Nawaz Sharif's health and asked about his mother, did the prime minister also speak about Kulbhushan Jadhav," she said.

Chaturvedi asked whether the prime minister thought it fit enough to ask his Pakistani counterpart about why Pakistan continues to violate the Line of Control.

"Why is it that our Army jawans are dying almost on a daily basis. Beheading has happened and yet we do not give an answer to the Pakistani prime minister," she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged greetings with his Pakistani counterpart in the leaders' lounge at a reception at Astana Opera in the Kazakh capital organised to welcome leaders participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

The meeting came amid escalating Indo-Pak tensions over a range of issues.