Always Felt At Home In Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal: Sam Pitroda, BJP Cries Foul

19th September 2025 at 3:04 PM

2 minutes read

New Delhi : Controversy’s favourite child, Sam Pitroda, called for a shift in India’s foreign policy to focus on its neighbourhood first, asserting that he always “felt at home” during his visits to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In an interview with IANS, Pitroda, who heads the Indian Overseas Congress, said that despite issues of violence and terrorism in the neighbourhood, India must engage with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Our foreign policy must first focus on our neighbourhood. Can we really substantially improve relationships with our neighbours? They are all going through difficult times and there is no need to fight. There are issues of violence and terrorism, but in the neighbourhood there is a common gene pool, Pitroda said.

I have been to Pakistan, and I must tell you, I felt at home. I have been to Bangladesh, Nepal, and I feel at home. I don’t feel like I am in a foreign country. They look like me, they talk like me, they like my songs, they eat my food. We must learn to live with them in peace and harmony, he further said.

While Nepal and Bangladesh saw regime changes following youth-led protests, Pakistan also saw a period of violence after the sudden ouster of Imran Khan as Prime Minister in 2022. Pitroda’s call to mend ties with Pakistan comes months after a terror attack in Pahalgam left 25 tourists dead.

The attack spurred India to cut down on diplomatic ties as the relationship reached its lowest ebb. Subsequently, India launched Operation Sindoor to destroy key terror camps deep inside Pakistan. Pitroda’s remarks drew a sharp response from the BJP, which linked it to the UPA’s response after the 26/11 Mumbai attack, which left 166 dead.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Pitroda put Congress in a spot of bother after he said that Indians in the East resemble the Chinese while those in the South look like Africans. His statement advocating the implementation of an inheritance tax law in India also drew widespread condemnation. As the BJP had a field day in raking up Pitroda’s remarks to attack the Congress, the senior leader stepped down as chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress.