By IANS
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is dismayed over the “limited role” of Hindu minority in Pakistan polls even as the party Wednesday welcomed the return of democracy in the neighbouring country.
“We welcome the victory of the democratic forces in the elections in Pakistan and the end of a dictatorial darkness in that country,” BJP president Rajnath Singh said in a press statement.
“We, however, note with dismay the very limited role of minorities, specially the Hindu minority, in these elections. We hope that the new rulers of Pakistan will take proper care of the minorities,” the statement added.
The right-wing party has expressed the hope that democratic forces will provide Pakistan with a truly representative government with full peoples participation.
“We also hope that they will be able to exercise proper democratic control over the Pakistan Army which was responsible for the Kargil war and continues to unleash cross border terrorism against India.”
The BJP expects the new rulers of Pakistan to work for a negotiated and peaceful settlement of all issues with India and to make constructive contribution to regional peace and cooperation, according to the statement.
The relations between India and Pakistan during the erstwhile BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime from 1998 to 2004 were a mixed bag.
The NDA initiated a bus service between Amritsar and Lahore in February 1999, when Nawaz Sharif was the prime minister of Pakistan.
However, the thaw in relations was shattered when in May 1999 Pakistani intruders occupied some of the Indian posts in Kargil.