Pakistan's Sharif wishes Modi on taking oath; India PM reasponds

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (10) thanked his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif for his congratulatory message on retaining the top office for a third term.

Since the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls was concluded on June 4, leaders of nearly 100 countries have congratulated Modi for the victory of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"Thank you @cmshehbaz for your good wishes," Modi said in reply to Sharif's message on X.

In a post on the social media platform, Sharif said, "Felicitations to @narendramodi on taking oath as the Prime Minister of India."

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Seven leaders from countries in India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Union council of ministers on Sunday (9).

Leaders from these countries and several others had called up and sent congratulatory messages to Modi following the NDA's electoral victory.

Read: India will continue to work for peace, prosperity: Modi tells foreign leaders at swearing-in

However, there was no such message from Pakistan before Sharif's post on X on Monday.

Ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

Relations further deteriorated after India on August 5, 2019 announced the withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and the bifurcation of the state into two Union territories.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free of terror and hostility for such engagement.

(PTI)