Pakistan frees Hafiz Saeed: Rahul says PM's "hugplomacy" a failure
Taking a dig at PM Modi and US President Trump's "frequent hugs," Congress VP Rahul Gandhi termed the recent release of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed a "hugplomacy" failure. He tweeted "Narendrabhai, baat nahi bani (it didn't work). Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pakistan military funding from LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed." Subsequently, BJP slammed Rahul for being a Pakistan-sympathizer.
What was Rahul referring to in his tweet?
Rahul's tweet referred to 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed being released by the Lahore HC after a 10-month house arrest. He was also referring to the US Congress' move of de-linking LeT from Haqqani network. This step was aimed at ensuring that US aid in military funding is used to take graver action against the Haqqani network, which targets US interests in Afghanistan.
How did the BJP respond?
BJP spokesperson Narsimha Rao responded with a tweet, "Rahul baba, Aadte nahi badli (your habits have not changed). For once, stand with the country and not with terrorists as is your habit." He claimed that Congress is a known sympathizer of LeT. He questioned Rahul, "Have you congratulated your 'Hafiz Saheb' on his release yet?" He further praised Modi for "cornering" Pakistan on terrorism.
