August 17 – The Asian Age states that former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister from 1998 to 2004 was marked by several fluctuations in ties with Pakistan. His first bold move just weeks after assuming office in 1998 was the Pokhran nuclear explosions in May that year to test India’s nuclear deterrence. The tests provoked a furious reaction from Pakistan, which also carried out nuclear explosions of its own. It also led to sanctions imposed by the US on both countries. But just a few months later, in February, 1999, in an equally dramatic outreach to Pakistan, Mr Vajpayee undertook what is famously known as the “Lahore Bus Yatra” and boarded a bus with an eminent delegation that drove to Lahore.
The Asian Age: Many ups and downs in ties with Pakistan
