New Delhi: Pakistan’s Prime Minister has accepted the invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi on Monday in the Capital.
After days of speculation, Mohyuddin Wani, the joint secretary of the PMO, informed Pakistan had accepted India’s invitation to Nawaz Sharif on Saturday. He will be joined by Pakistan’s national security adviser Sartaz Aziz.
Sharif is keen on making a new beginning with the next government in Delhi. Sharif’s presence was under cloud following statements from Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The Pakistani leader has now appeared to have got his security establishment’s permission to visit Delhi.
Around 3,000 Indian and foreign dignitaries are expected to be at Rashtrapati Bhavan’s forecourt to watch Modi take oath as India’s next PM. Modi’s swearing-in ceremony is set to bring SAARC nations together whose last summit was in 2011 in Maldives.
The Pakistani premier’s attendance will be a first in the history of the two countries, which have fought three wars since independence in 1947. Ties have been particularly tense between India and Pakistan since 2008 Mumbai attacks blamed on Pakistan-based militants but Sharif has said he wants to improve relations with India.