Indo-Pak Foreign Secretaries to meet on Jan 15

But just a few hours before landing in Lahore, Modi met with the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, and addressed the Afghan parliament in Kabul, in a visit that included explicit criticism of Pakistan for its role in sheltering the Taliban insurgency.

The PM greeted Sharif on his birthday and then said he was over-flying Pakistan.

“Jindal is in Lahore for the last couple of days to attend the wedding of Nawaz Sharif’s grand daughter”.

It was unclear, however, when Modi’s visit itself was planned.

“Afghanistan will succeed only when terrorism no longer flows across the border, when nurseries and sanctuaries of terrorism are shut, and their patrons are no longer in business”, Modi said.

As diplomatic theater, the meeting could hardly have been more colorful: Modi announced the visit on Twitter en route from an official visit to Afghanistan. “He obviously welcomes this visit and this step in the right direction and he hopes that the dialogue will be maintained and strengthened”, a United Nations spokesperson said when asked about the United Nations chief’s response to Modi’s visit to Pakistan. Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad T C A Raghavan was on leave.

“The visits have taken place in past as well but proved to be futile”. He says he also called Sharif and wished him happy birthday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (R) talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Lahore, Pakistan, December 25, 2015. “Padosi se aise hi rishte hone chahiyen (Relations with neighbours should be like this)”, she said.

Welcoming Modi’s visit, Imran Khan said he had also invited the Indian premier to Pakistan during his recent visit to India.

Sharif hugged Modi after he landed at the airport in the eastern city of Lahore before the two boarded a helicopter for Sharif’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval nearby residence, state television showed.

To a question, Mr. Chaudhry said Mr. Modi did not know about the marriage of the granddaughter of Mr. Sharif. Prime Minister Sharif saw off his Indian counterpart at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. The leaders have met at worldwide events, most recently in Paris during global climate-change talks, leading to a visit by India’s foreign minister to Islamabad this month. “People-to-people contact needs to increase” to improve the chances for peace, he said. Chaudhry termed Modi’s visit a “gesture of good will” and hoped that it will help resolve all of their outstanding issues when the two sides resume talks in the near future.

“The two leaders made a decision to take forward the dialogue process”, Chowdhury said, adding that they agreed to “open ways for peace and a better atmosphere”, while understanding each other’s concerns.

Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani said he was always in the favour of good relations between the two countries, but added the same should happen by resolving the Kashmir issue.