Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif, SAARC nation heads invited for Narendra Modi swearing-in
New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi has invited Pakistan's premier Nawaz Sharif, Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai as well as other South Asian leaders to his swearing-in ceremony on May 26, a party spokeswoman has said.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley said that it was Modi's desire to invite the heads of government of all SAARC countries to his swearing-in, saying it is a first step towards improving ties with India's neighbours.
The party also said the installation of a new government in the world's largest democracy through peaceful transfer of power is also an occasion to showcase the strength of democracy.
"This is a big occasion for India's democracy that the country's elections have concluded peacefully and the world's largest democracy sees such a change. Such a peaceful change in the world's largest democracy is an occasion to showcase to the whole world the strength of democracy," Jaitley said.
He said "it was Prime Minister-designate himself who desired that all heads of states of SAARC nations be invited."
Jaitley said "it is Modi government's intention to maintain good ties with its neighbours and this is the first indication of that intention."
He said the decision to invite neighbours to the swearing-in is also an indication that "we care for them and want to maintain relations with them."
The majestic forecourt of the historic Rashtrapati Bhavan is gearing up for a gala swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi on May 26 in the presence of over 3,000 invitees.
Following in the footsteps of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi has expressed his desire for being sworn at the sprawling forecourt so that a large number of visitors can be accommodated to witness the function. Earlier, Chandrashekar was another Prime Minister who took oath at this venue.
(Read: It's new govt's prerogative: Congress on Modi’s invite to SAARC leaders)
BJP had a landslide victory in the just-concluded polls to elect members for the 16th Lok Sabha and crossed the magic figure of 272 in the 543-member House on its own for the first time in its history.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah lauded the move of inviting SAARC leaders for the swearing-in ceremony.
Excellent move by @narendramodi to invite SAARC leaders, especially Pak PM for his swearing in. Hope this is beginning of sustained talks.
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) May 21, 2014 A senior official from the foreign ministry had earlier confirmed it was examining a proposal to welcome foreign heads of governments, but said that invites had not yet been sent.
Sharif, who is himself a centre-right leader, has hailed Modi's "impressive victory" hoping the two men can engineer a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Sharif has cited his working relationship with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India's last prime minister under the right-wing BJP, as a reason for optimism, according to diplomatic sources.
In 1999 during Sharif's second term in power, Vajpayee rode a bus to Lahore to sign a peace accord, raising the prospect of normalised ties. Three months later, the countries embarked on the Kargil conflict in the Himalayan region of Kashmir.
India and Pakistan have fought three fully fledged wars since independence in 1947 and bilateral ties broke down after attacks on Indian commercial hub Mumbai in 2008 in which 166 people were killed by Pakistani gunmen.
Relations have warmed slightly since under outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but remain frosty amid mutual distrust and regular skirmishes on their disputed border in Kashmir.
Modi had warned during campaigning that talks could not be held with Pakistan until all violence stopped.
Apart from Sharif, Sri Lanka President President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina have been invited to Narendra Modi's swearing-in. Other SAARC leaders who were invited are -Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
While some of the leaders including Karzai, Rajapaksa and Tobgay have indicated that they may attend the ceremony, others are yet to respond.