'As Imran govt exulted over US offer, Modi quietly planned'

Islamabad, Aug 6 (IANS) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president and Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday took jibes at the Imran Khan government, saying it was "so excited" with US President Donald Trump's offer of mediation on Kashmir that it "couldn't sleep", and "had no clue" about India's intentions.

Addressing the special joint session of parliament called to discuss India revoking special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Shehbaz said India had twice rejected the American President's offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue. And all the while "Modi was quietly preparing for what happened in Kashmir," he said.

Shehbaz said it was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was the hurdle in establishing peace in Afghanistan. "Was this President Trump's trump card of trap card?" Shehbaz asked, Pakistani media reported.

"We accepted Trump's offer (to mediate). Was our government not prepared for Modi's intentions? Our government had no clue and was happy about Trump's offer."

"They couldn't sleep because of the excitement" from Trump's offer, he said.