In what would be Pakistan’s first message to the new Indian government, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday sent ‘felicitations’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a day after the oath-taking ceremony.
Felicitations to @narendramodi on taking oath as the Prime Minister of India.— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 10, 2024
“Felicitations to Narendra Modi on taking oath as the Prime Minister of India,” Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on social media site X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to the tweet by thanking his Pakistani counterpart.
Thank you @cmshehbaz for your good wishes. https://t.co/ynBdjxHJmZ— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2024
“Thank you @cmshehbaz for your good wishes,” PM Modi said.
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif was not among the invitees to the swearing-in ceremony held in New Delhi.
His elder brother and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif also sent a message wishing ‘warm felicitations’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media site X. Nawaz Sharif in his post addressed the Prime Minister as ‘Modi Ji’ and called for working together for South Asia.
My warm felicitations to Modi Ji (@narendramodi) on assuming office for the third time. Your party's success in recent elections reflects the confidence of the people in your leadership. Let us replace hate with hope and seize the oppurtunity to shape the destiny of the two…— Nawaz Sharif (@NawazSharifMNS) June 10, 2024
“My warm felicitations to Modi Ji on assuming office for the third time. Your party’s success in recent elections reflects the confidence of the people in your leadership. Let us replace hate with hope and seize the opportunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia,” Nawaz Sharif said.
PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Lahore in 2015 during his first term took many by surprise at the time and coincided with Sharif’s 66th birthday who was the then-Prime Minister of Pakistan. Earlier this year, PM Modi discussed his visit during his surprise lunch meeting with eight MPs in Parliament.
Later, photos surfaced of Nawaz Sharif donning a pink turban gifted to him by Prime Minister Modi during the wedding ceremony of Mehrun Nisa, Nawaz Sharif’s granddaughter, an event that PM Modi had also attended.
Top leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region, including Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Sunday graced the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union council of ministers.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay and Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif also attended the glittering ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the leaders of the seven countries were invited to the ceremony in keeping with the highest priority accorded by India to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR’ vision.
Ties between India and Pakistan remain frosty due to the latter’s use of terror as a tool to create instability in the Kashmir region. Pakistani establishment’s support of terrorists and its boost to the drug trade in the border region are some of the key reasons why relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have deteriorated.
Modi took the oath for the third straight term, days after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance secured 293 seats out of 543 in the Lok Sabha polls.
Senior BJP leaders Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar and Piyush Goyal were among those taking the oath as Union Cabinet ministers at the ceremony.
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