Mumbai: Ahead of Asif Ali Zardari’s pilgrimage to the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Thursday took a dig at the Pakistan President, wondering how could the prayers of those who have an “evil eye” on India could be answered.
Thackeray sought to remind Zardari, who is at the centre of a tense stand-off between the government and the judiciary over corruption charges, that his predecessor General Parvez lost power after a visit to the Sufi shrine.
“The place of worship is situated in India. How will prayers of those who who have an evil eye on our country be answered,” Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
Thackeray said the purpose of Zardari’s visit was not to improve relations between the two countries or to take steps to stop “Pakistan-sponsored” terrorism on Indian soil.
“Zardari is facing corruption charges and prospects of imprisonment after he is forced to step down from office. There is severe anti-Zardari sentiment among the people of Pakistan.
“The last Pakistani leader to visit Ajmer Sharif was General Musharraf. After his visit, he lost power and had to leave his country,” Thackeray said and advised him to think twice before setting foot in Delhi. Zardari is arriving in New Delhi on Sunday on a “private visit” during which he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over lunch and pay obeisance at the shrine of the Khwaja, one of the most venerated in the country.
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Thursday said the upcoming meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will contribute to intra-regional peace though there would be no compromise on the “core issue” of Kashmir or maintaining a credible nuclear deterrence.
“We are of the view that the upcoming meeting between the President and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over lunch will contribute towards achieving the President’s vision to promote intra-regional peace and prosperity in this part of the world,” Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly news briefing. He said Pakistan is looking forward to a “constructive engagement between the two leaders” when Zardari travels to India on April 8 for a day-long private visit to the Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer. Before travelling to Ajmer, Zardari is scheduled to meet Singh over lunch in Delhi. Both sides have not provided any details about the agenda for this meeting though Basit said the two leaders “would discuss all the issues which continue to take priority in our bilateral relations”.
“These meetings at the summit level are always very helpful but that does not mean that we have compromised on our principled positions on other issues, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” Basit said. (PTI)