'Carrying message of peace' Pak PM reaches Delhi for Modi's swearing in

Last updated: May 26, 2014

New Delhi, India (BBN)-Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Delhi on Monday to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in as India's new PM, in a big step towards revitalising ties that have been frosty since last year.

"I am carrying a message of peace. Dialogue is the only solution," Sharif told reporters before leaving Lahore, reports NDTV.

Sharif has come with his wife Kulsoom Nawaz and son Hussain, besides Pakistani officials.

This is the first time that a leader from either country has attended his counterpart's inauguration since Independence in 1947.

The Pakistan premier is among the six South Asian leaders invited for the ceremony. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse have also arrived in Delhi.

Sharif, 64, will meet the new Prime Minister on Tuesday as part of a series of bilateral meetings. Officials say the meeting will be largely be an ice-breaker.

The offer of a meeting with Modi is said to be a major factor in clinching Sharif's visit, which was reportedly opposed by some in Pakistan's security establishment.

Peace moves between the two countries were derailed last year after a series of ceasefire violations.

The hostilities escalated with the killing of five Indian soldiers in a Pakistani ambush in August last.

In January, 2013, a jawan was beheaded by Pakistan soldiers.

The violence cast a shadow on outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with Sharif on the sidelines of a UN meet in New York in September.

During his poll campaign, Modi lashed out at the Congress for engaging with Pakistan despite the killings.

His invitation Mr Sharif has been described as a bold move in both countries, but has been sharply criticized by the BJP's oldest ally, Shiv Sena, which believes India must not resume peace talks, cultural and cricketing ties with Pakistan unless violence along the border stops.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, however, said he would attend the swearing in even though it was "difficult to trust Pakistan."

The BJP's massive mandate - the party seized 282 seats on its own - means that it has room to act without pressure from its allies.

BBN/AD-26May14-12:00pm (BST)

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