Former union minister Arun Shourie said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy on Pakistan lacked clarity and he is under the illusion of an out-of-box solution to the vexed issue.

In an interview with Karan Thapar for Headlines Today, Shourie, who was a minister in the first National Democratic Alliance government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said: “Like all previous prime ministers Modi was prone to the belief he could change the relationship. The PM must free himself of the illusion of out of box thinking.”

However, Shourie praised Modi’s overall achievement in foreign policy, saying: “It is the Modi government’s great success and there is a theme which runs through the improved relationship with America, Japan, Australia, France and Canada as well as neighbourhood countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh which is the recognition of China as India’s principal challenge.

“Modi must guard against lack of follow up. That has been the traditional besetting fault of Indian foreign policy and it must not happen again,” cautioned Shourie, according to Headlines Today.