Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in on ... - Hindustan Times

Pakistan has accepted an invitation to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend the inauguration of prime minister-designate Narendra Modi, an official said on Saturday.

Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif in the White Room of Number 10 Downing Street in London. (AFP photo)

The Pakistani premier's attendance will be a first in the history of the two countries, which have fought three wars since independence in 1947.

"There will be a bilateral meeting on the sidelines between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Mr Modi," Mohyuddin Wani, the joint secretary of the Prime Minister's office, told Reuters. "Mr Sharif will also be calling on the Indian president."

Pakistan national security adviser Sartaz Aziz is expected accompany Sharif, Indian TV news channels reported.

Ties have been particularly tense since the 2008 attacks on Mumbai blamed by India on Pakistan-based militants. Sharif came to power last year promising to rebuild relations with India but has been under pressure to toughen his stance from hardliners at home, particularly within the army.

In India, outgoing prime minister Manmohan Singh's efforts to rebuild economic and diplomatic ties fell apart when deadly skirmishes broke out along the border in Kashmir last year.

During the election campaign, Modi took a tough stance on Pakistan's role in sponsoring terror attacks in India. But since his victory, he has softened his stand somewhat. He has said that he would like to engage India's neighbors and have friendly relations with them.

Sharif, who is himself a centre-right leader, has hailed Modi's "impressive victory" and many diplomats hope the two men can thaw ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Modi's ambitious economic agenda will require India to open markets and normalise trade with neighbours. He may find Sharif, a proponent of free markets with a history of conciliatory gestures towards New Delhi, a worthy ally.

The relationship improved the last time the BJP took power, in 1998, under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who rode a bus to Lahore during Sharif's previous stint in power to sign a peace accord.

Three months later, the Pakistan army torpedoed Sharif's attempts to improve ties by secretly sending soldiers disguised as militants to capture Indian outposts in the heights of Kargil, in the north of Indian Kashmir.

(With inputs from Reuters and the Associated Press)