India defence minister receives flak for trying to mock PM Imran’s austere US trip

Indian leaders need to learn from Imran's low-cost US visit, writes journalist Prabhash K Dutta

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been criticized for trying to mock Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent trip to the United Nations General Assembly.

The prime minister had planned to travel using a commercial airliner instead of a charter aircraft which was the norm during tenures of earlier governments.

Singh, known for his belligerent statements against Pakistan, had claimed that "lack of financial wisdom has led the Pakistani government to a situation where their prime minister has to struggle to arrange for a plane to attend a global event”.

However, Indian journalist Prabhash K Dutta urged Indian leaders to learn from PM Imran's low-cost US visit instead of mocking him.

The journalist wrote in India Today that it was not true that the Pakistani prime minister or government cannot afford a special aircraft for him, as falsely claimed by the defence minister in his statement.




During his US visit in July, the prime minister had taken a commercial flight instead of a chartered plane, as was the norm with previous state visits by top Pakistani leaders.

He had even stayed at the official residence of Pakistan's ambassador to the US instead of occupying a luxury hotel, wrote the journalist in an opinion piece while adding that the premier's recent "US visit is an extension of the domestic austerity drive".