Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday got a formal invite from his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for visiting Pakistan, which was accepted.
The invite was handed over to Singh by Sharif’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.
The invite was delivered when Nawaz Sharif’s brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif met Singh for about half an hour.
Shahbaz Sharif told a group of reporters that his brother’s goodwill message was also handed over to Singh along with the invitation.
Asked about Singh’s response, he said the Indian prime minister accepted the invitation. “Let us see”.
Pakistani leaders have been extending invitations to Singh for the last few years but the Indian leader has said his visit would depend on the situation on the ground in terms of terrorism and the LoC.
Pakistan High Commission said the message of goodwill from Nawaz Sharif emphasised “Pakistan’s desire to forge friendly and cooperative relations with India in the interest of peace and prosperity of the people of the two countries and of the region.”
Shahbaz Sharif is the No.2 in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League and the meeting assumes significance given the disappointment expressed by Singh over the progress on agreed outcome of the meeting between Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistani counterpart in New York in September.
The Punjab CM also underscored the importance of resumption of dialogue and peaceful resolution of all issues, it added.
Shahbaz is visiting India on the invitation of his Punjabi counterpart, Parkash Singh Badal. He would also meet Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.
Shahbaz, the man behind Lahore’s Metro Bus Service, would also be visiting the Patel Chowk Metro Station.
Keen in resolving the country’s energy crisis, he would be visiting the Timarpur-Okhla Solid Waste Management Project in Jasola and the New Delhi Mahatma Gandhi Thermal Power Plant, Jhajjar, village Khanpur Kalan, according to the Pakistan High Commission. Moreover, he is slated to be the chief guest at the World Kabaddi Championship final in Ludhiana on Saturday.