Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his elder brother Nawaz Sharif felicitated on Monday Narendra Modi who took oath as the PM of India after an unexpectedly close election that forced his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a coalition government.
“Felicitations to Narendra Modi on taking oath as the Prime Minister of India,” the PM wrote on X, a brief note that came nearly a week after the results.
Meanwhile, former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ( PML-N) president Nawaz Sharif also congratulated Modi for becoming Indian prime minister for the third time.
“My warm felicitations to Modi Ji on assuming office for the third time. Your party’s success in recent elections reflects the confidence of the people in your leadership. Let us replace hate with hope and seize the opportunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia,” elder Sharif said in a message shared on X.
Modi’s response
The Indian prime minister responded to the messages of both Sharifs.
“Thank you @cmshehbaz for your good wishes,” he replied to Shehbaz on his message on X.
Similarly, Modi also replied to the message of Nawaz Sharif, saying “The people of India have always stood for peace, security, and progressive ideas. Advancing the well-being and security of our people shall always remain our priority”.
Modi was sworn in on Sunday for a third term after BJP won 293 seats in the general election held over the last seven weeks.
Modi, who is only the second person after India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to hold office for three consecutive terms, readied Monday to unveil his coalition government after a surprise election setback lost his Hindu-nationalist party an overall majority.
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The 71 members of his government took the oath of office after Modi on Sunday, with 11 posts going to coalition allies who extracted them in exchange for their support – including five in the top 30 cabinet posts.
There are no Muslim lawmakers among his third-term lineup, unlike his past two governments, both formed after his party won a majority.
Modi’s decade as premier has seen him cultivate an image as an aggressive champion of the country’s majority Hindu faith, worrying minorities including the country’s 200-million-plus Muslim community.
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