ISLAMABAD, Islamic Republic Of Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a surprise stopover in Pakistan to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
It is the first time an Indian PM has visited the rival nation in nearly a decade.
Mr Sharif hugged Mr Modi after he landed in the eastern city of Lahore before the two boarded a helicopter to head off for talks.
The visit has raised hopes that relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours might finally improve after three wars and more than 65 years of hostility.
“So, you have finally come,” Mr Sharif told Mr Modi as he arrived, according to a Pakistani foreign ministry official at the meeting.
Mr Modi phoned Mr Sharif earlier in the day to wish him a happy 66th birthday and asked if he could make a stop in Pakistan on his way home from Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry told reporters.
“And the PM said to him, ‘Please come, you are our guest, please come and have tea with me,'” he said.
The two leaders talked for about 90 minutes and shared a meal before Mr Modi flew home.
“Among the decisions taken was that ties between the two countries would be strengthened and also people-to-people contact would be strengthened so that the atmosphere can be created in which the peace process can move forward,” Mr Chaudhry said.
India and Pakistan resumed high-level contacts following a brief conversation between Mr Sharif and Mr Modi at the Paris climate change talks last month.
Earlier, Mr Sharif’s spokesman said the pair were due to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir – the most contentious issue dividing India and Pakistan.
The two countries were divided under British colonial rule in 1947 into Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan.
Mr Modi, a Hindu nationalist, came to power in 2014, and has authorised a more robust approach to Pakistan – giving security forces the licence to retaliate forcefully along their disputed border.
Credit: Sky News
