ISLAMABAD: In a significant development Pakistan Prime Minister has finally accepted invitation to attend the the swearing in ceremony of India’s Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi.
Modi is to take the oath as prime minister 10 days after a landslide win for the Hindu nationalist BJP which secured the first majority by a single party in 30 years.
Nawaz is among the leaders of eight South Asian countries invited to attend the oath-taking ceremony to be held in New Delhi on May 26.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on May 21, in a bold move, invited Nawaz to his swearing-in ceremony.
This is the first time in the history of India that a Pakistani Prime Minister has been invited to the oath-taking ceremony of an Indian Premier.
The decision to accept Indias unprecedented invitation was taken after consultations with all the stakeholders, said the foreign office official.
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz told Dawn that he had a series of meetings yesterday and day before with the premier in which the issue was discussed.
Moreover, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said details of the visit were being worked out with the Indian authorities, including the composition of the prime minister?s delegation.
She said it was most likely that Aziz would accompany Prime Minister Sharif to New Delhi.
According to The News, the spokesperson of the PM House has said that Nawaz Sharif could stay over-night in India and will also have a meeting with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.
This latest gesture is considered significant considering the anti-Pakistan rhetoric by Modi during his election campaign. Modis invitation has inspired hopes that the change in government will lead to improved relations between the two countries. The swearing-in ceremony, is likely to be attended by as many as 3,000 guests. Modi will be sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India by President Pranab Mukherjee.
The Economic Times reports that Friday’s pre-dawn attack on the Indian consulate by Taliban in Herat in western Afghanistan, just three days before Modi’s swearing-in, underscored the extremely tough task for the new Prime Minister as he opens up a new channel of communication with the Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan.
The attack came just days after Modi invited all SAARC leaders, including Sharif, for his swearing-in ceremony in a gesture that signals his desire to build better relations with all neighbours.
In a statement, which was vetted by Modi, the Indian government seemed to acknowledge the challenge as it blamed the “cowardly” attack on Pakistan-backed terror groups operating in Afghanistan. “The main threat to Afghanistan and its peace and stability and security stems from terrorism beyond its borders.”
Pakistan, too, condemned the attack, saying “no cause justifies targeting of diplomatic missions.” Islamabad also said that it was deeply relieved that no Indian diplomat was hurt in the attack.
The Herat attack was also seen as a warning to the Pakistani government not to warm up to India. LET chief Hafiz Saeed publicly warned Sharif that a visit to India would be a betrayal of the Kashmir cause. “What will you (Sharif) answer the Kashmiris if you go to India?” he said.
An indication of the difficulty to arrive at a consensus on Nawaz Sharifs india visit also came when Shahbaz Sharif- the Chief Minister of Punjab Province and Nawaz Sharifs brother on Friday called on the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to discuss Pakistan-India relations in the wake of the recent shift of power in New Delhi.
Quoting well-placed sources, Express Tribune reported that both the Punjab CM and COAS discussed Modis invitation to Nawaz Sharif to participate in his oath-taking ceremony. The sources said that both Raheel Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif agreed that in view of the advice of various stakeholders, a high-powered delegation, instead of the PM, should attend the ceremony, the daily reported.
The sources said CM Shahbaz and Raheel Sharif discussed the composition of the delegation and the possible issues the Pakistani delegation could face during its trip. But the turnabout has put to rest all of that speculation for the moment and Monday, 26 May is expected to mark a historic day in Indo-Pak relations.
Analysts had asserted that a slightly delayed response was due to the fact that Pakistan would be keen to insert a meaningful agenda during the usually accommodated bilateral talks even if the occasion has a multi-lateral flavour.
Modis invitation has inspired hopes that the change in government will lead to improved relations between the two countries.
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