Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Narendra Modi for taking over as Prime Minister for the third time but more significant was a felicitation message from the elder Sharif - former PM Nawaz Sharif, who spoke about replacing hate with hope.
Modi expressed appreciation for the message, 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,” said Modi, who did not invite Pakistan for the inauguration of his third term. Modi’s emphasis on security is in line with his govt’s long held position that Pakistan’s continued support to cross-border terrorism is not conducive for dialogue.
Just before the election outcome too, Nawaz had reached out to India’s incoming govt by reiterating his position that it was Pakistan through its Kargil offensive that had violated his 1999 peace agreement with India in the form of the Lahore Declaration.
However, his remarks now constitute the first direct peace outreach to India since the coalition govt in Pakistan took power earlier this year. Nawaz said Modi’s success in elections reflects the confidence of the people in his leadership. “Let us replace hate with hope and seize the opportunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia,” said Nawaz, who was recently re-elected president of his party, in a post on X.
Coming from the most powerful civilian leader in Pakistan, and one who is known to share a close rapport with Modi himself, the remarks are particularly significant. Modi also thanked Shehbaz for his message.
It was under Modi and Nawaz - in 2015 when then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad - that the two sides had their last substantive bilateral engagement. That dialogue saw India and Pakistan relaunching the dialogue process under the new name of comprehensive bilateral dialogue. This was followed by Modi’s famous drop by, and only visit to Pakistan as PM, in Lahore on Nawaz’s birthday but that initiative also quickly fizzled out because of the Pathankot terror attack and later the Uri attack.
India has refused to have any diplomatic engagement ever since, except for the Indus Waters Treaty talks, and Pakistan itself decided to downgrade ties by recalling its high commissioner in 2019 after India revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of J&K.
