Visiting Indian PM starts meeting with Pakistani counterpart

This was immediately followed by Suhma’s visit to Islamabad for Heart of Asia Summit talks on Afghanistan where the two countries announced the decision to begin the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue with each other.

After addressing a joint session of the Afghan parliament early Friday, Modi tweeted that he wished Sharif on his birthday and that he is “looking forward to meet PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi”.

Modi and Sharif talked about restarting a dialogue and increasing people-to-people contacts between their nations, he said.

Sharma also slammed Modi and BJP for adopting a “hawkish approach” during the UPA government and termed any meeting by former prime minister Manmohan Singh with his Pakistani counterpart as “anti-national”.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif received Modi at the Lahore airport where the two leaders exchanged a hug as Modi wished Sharif on his birthday. So, Sajjan Jindal has been acting as an informal messenger between the two leaders.

Both leaders took a helicopter to proceed to the residence of Sharif near Lahore, the capital of Punjab province after the brief official reception at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. His visit coincided with the 139th birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founder. “One should have such relations with the neighbours”, she added. Also present were Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and the Indian envoy, T.C.A. Raghavan.

The visit occurred after Modi called Sharif to express his desire to make a stop in Pakistan, Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry told reporters in Lahore.

The foreign secretaries of both counties are to meet in Islamabad at the end of the month, Chaudhry said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left Pakistan’s eastern city on Friday after “infusing a positive spirit in the neighborhood”, the spokesman of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Vikas Swarup, said on Twitter.

“The PM said “Please come, you’re our visitor, also have tea with me” and please come”, he explained.

“We welcome the December 25 talks between PM Modi and PM Sharif in Lahore”. The talks in Ufa were the first since Sharif attended Modi’s inauguration previous year.

Modi was welcomed at the Lahore airport by Sharif, who the report said “has been an advocate of a better relationship with India and is eager to enhance trade ties”. An industrialist who has a private business with ruling establishment in Pakistan is there already, so how is Prime Minister’s visit spontaneous?’ he asked.