Two uncommon leaders with a lot in common

By inviting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharief to his swearing in, Narendra Modi has shown that he can be bold and his initiatives beautiful. Quite coincidentally, he shares a lot in common with Nawaz Sharief.

Both have won elections recently and have won landslide victories. Nawaz Sharief’s political journey too has been as arduous as that of Narendra Modi. While Modi had to brave incessant criticism and a spate of legal battles for over a decade, Nawaz has suffered dethronement, deportation and a life of exile for over a decade, before storming back to power. Thus both are doughty fighters of the first order. Both the leaders are loved as intensely as they are hated. While Narendra Modi’s success story is essentially a north and a west Indian phenomenon, Nawaz has done exceedingly well in the state of Punjab and this state has been his mainstay.

At a personal level, both the leaders are deeply attached to their respective mothers. While Modi’s attachment with his mother is there for all to see, Nawaz too is known to visit his mother every week. But, the similarities end there. Nawaz is not as free and as independent as Narendra Modi is. He is burdened by the famed three As – Army, America and the Allah ie., The extremist forces. He has to take all these along. Unlike Modi’s word, his word may not be the last word on Indo-Pak relations. Even to attend Modi’s swearing –in, Nawaz had to convince a lot of quarters.

Time alone will tell us whether he shall script a new chapter in Indo-Pak relations or will his hand of friendship meet the same fate as the historic Lahore Bus Yatra, which ignominiously ended in Kargil attack.

-Raka@Sakshipost