Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, the top foreign ministry bureaucrat, later told a press conference that it was a “purely goodwill visit”.
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Ahead of his address, he and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated Afghanistan’s new parliament building which was constructed with Indian assistance of $90 million.
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Modi’s visit was unannounced, and when Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif greeted him on the tarmac at the Lahore airport and the men embraced, it set tongues wagging in both countries.
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Modi said on Twitter that conversation focused on India-Russia ties, calling it “fruitful” and also publishing pictures of the pair exchanging gifts.
Prime ministers Modi and Sharif met at the latter’s residence Raiwind Palace, the ancestral home of the Sharifs, in Lahore, where he also discussed Indo-Pak relations with him.
Earlier this month, they agreed to resume high-level talks that would cover peace and security as well as territorial disputes, including over Kashmir – a Himalayan region that has seen India and Pakistan fight two wars since gaining their independence from Britain in 1947.
He said Shahbaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were also present during the meeting.
“But yes, it’s a clear signal that active engagement can be done at a quick pace”, the aide said, declining to be identified.
Mistrust between India and Pakistan runs deep and in Afghanistan many believe that Islamabad sponsors the Taliban insurgency to weaken the Kabul government and limit the influence of India.
The last visit to Pakistan by an Indian prime minister was in 2004 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose 91st birthday fell today and who is credited with bringing about a thaw in relations with Islamabad. Tensions between Hindu-majority India and mostly Muslim Pakistan risk fueling extremists in South Asia and beyond.
Modi landed in northeastern Lahore on short notice, sending Pakistani authorities rushing to manage security arrangements.
Earlier Friday, in his speech to the Afghan parliament, Modi urged closer cooperation between India, Pakistan and other neighbours for Afghanistan’s progress.
The opposition Congress Party called Modi’s visit irresponsible and said that nothing had happened to warrant warming of ties between the rivals. Scheduled high-level talks between the two were cancelled in August after ceasefire violations across the border.
“What was discussed in Paris and Bangkok was never discussed”, said the Congress.
Modi also made a veiled reference to Pakistan on the issue of cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan.
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“We know that Afghanistan’s success will require the cooperation and support of each of its neighbors”, he said.
