Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has accepted the Indian invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony of premier-elect Narendra Modi. The Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam Saturday confirmed that the Prime Minister Sharif would be travelling to New Delhi on Monday to participate in the oath-taking ceremony of Modi. According to the programme received from India, she said that the Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the morning of May 27.
The Prime Minister would also call on the Indian President, she said, adding the Prime Minister would return to Pakistan in the afternoon of May 27. The spokesperson further said the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, Secretary to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary would accompany him.
Tasnim told reporters during the weekly press briefing on Thursday Pakistan expects resumption of uninterrupted dialogue process when the new government takes over in India with a view to resolving the outstanding disputes for economic development of the two countries and great peace in the region.
"We expect that when the new government takes over in India, realising the importance of having peace in the neighbourhood, the dialogue process between Pakistan and India will resume - that it will be a meaningful and constructive dialogue; a dialogue with a view to resolving the outstanding disputes between our two countries so that this region can have durable peace," she said.
"Obviously, issues related to the disputes; Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, water and others will be discussed when leaders of Pakistan and India meet. Also, trade, economic relations, transnational crime, terrorism and people to people contact can come up for discussion," Tasnim Aslam told the weekly press briefing. Sources said the Prime Minister's decision to accept the Indian invitation was taken following intensive consultation process with major stakeholders, including the security establishment.
They said that during the one-on-one meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would share his vision on economic diplomacy and peaceful neighbourhood with all the regional powers. "The Prime Minister would also express the desire that the two sides should resume the dialogue process with a view to resolving disputes," said a senior diplomat, adding that it will also be a good opportunity for the two leaders to know each others as they are going to meet perhaps for the first time. It will also be the first Pakistani head of the government to attend any swearing-in of his Indian counterpart, he pointed out. The Prime Minister's decision was also welcomed by many political leaders including Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PTI's Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.
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