Congress plenary session: Party accuses Narendra Modi govt of making policy towards Pakistan a divisive domestic issue

New Delhi: Stressing that the Modi government has no roadmap and its Pakistan policy was a disaster, the Congress on Sunday said the government has made the policy towards Islamabad as a “divisive domestic issue”. The Congress, in its resolution on foreign policy, recognised that the key foreign policy challenges include managing India’s relations with China and Pakistan. “The nexus between the two neighbours poses a challenge to regional balance and stability,” the resolution said. The party noted that Pakistan continued to be a challenge and there was no discernible shift in its use of cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy. [caption id=“attachment_4389079” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The foreign policy resolution was moved by Congress leader Anand Sharma at the party’s 84th plenary session. “There is a disturbing increase in hostile actions, including shelling by Pakistani armed forces along our borders and the LoC. There cannot be two opinions, that these actions require an appropriate response. Confronting cross-border terrorism with a robust security response has enjoyed across the board national consensus. Regrettably, this is being undermined by the government by making policy towards Pakistan a divisive domestic issue,” said the resolution. “The claims of a more effective and assertive policy towards Pakistan are boastful and have not yielded any positive results,” it added. The party noted that under the Congress-led UPA Government, the long-standing India-Pakistan hyphenation in international perception was successfully removed. “It is a matter of concern that there is a danger of that hyphenation being revived as a result of renewed international focus on Indo-Pakistan tensions.” The resolution said: “The Congress is of a considered view that the BJP government has no roadmap and its Pakistan policy has been a disaster. “Review of the policy is overdue, and any successful policy can only be based on a national consensus with a focus on both current and long term objectives,” it added.