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PM Modi lands in Lahore on a surprise visit, meets Pak PM Nawaz Sharif

Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome as pm's special iaf boeing 737 plane made a smooth touchdown at 4.20 local time(4.50 ist)..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Lahore on Friday for a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in a surprise visit to this country -the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in more than 10 years. Modi was received by Sharif with a warm hug at the tarmac of Allama Iqbal International Airport after his unexpected stopover here on his way back home after a day-long trip today to Afghanistan where he went after concluding a two-day visit to Russia on Thursday.

Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome as PM’s special IAF Boeing 737 plane made a smooth touchdown at 4.20 local time(4.50 IST). He then took a chopper to proceed to Sharif’s Raiwind palatial residence in the outskirts of Lahore.

ALSO READ:  Highlights: PM Modi arrives in Delhi after Lahore visit, Pak welcomes India’s initiative

“Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi,” tweeted Modi, who was on his first to Pakistan, as he wound up his visit to Afghanistan.

“Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & wished him on his birthday,” Modi added in another tweet. Sharif turned 66 today. The visit came more than two weeks after Modi and Sharif had an unscheduled meeting at climate change talks in Paris. The agenda of the meeting is not known but the two leaders are expected to discuss major issues which have rocked ties between the two countries.

ALSO READ:  Pakistan hails PM’s gesture, says it is ‘purely a goodwill visit’

The relations between India and Pakistan have witnessed some positive developments after chill for several months. The two countries recently decided to launch a comprehensive dialogue after Modi-Sharif meet in Paris. “That’s like a statesman,” External Affairs Minister  Sushma Swaraj tweeted about the surprise visit by Modi. “One should have such relations with the neighbours,” she added.

ALSO READ:  PM Narendra Modi has taken a “courageous” step: Sudheendra Kulkarni

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. Pakistani authorities put security on high alert in Lahore especially around the airport area following the announcement of Modi’s brief visit to the eastern city.

A heavy contingent of police and Pakistan Rangers have reached the Allama Iqbal International Airport and taken charge of the security. “Security in Lahore has been put on high alert,” a senior police official told PTI. He said police have also been deployed on the adjoining areas of the airport.

ALSO READ:  Separatists welcome Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore

A PM House spokesman here said the Indian premier would stay in Lahore for about two hours. A PML-N source told PTI that Sharif had invited Modi to attend the marriage of his granddaughter Mehrun Nisa which is taking place today at the Sharif’s Raiwind palatial residence.

“I cannot confirm but there are chances that Modi goes to Raiwind and holds meeting with PM Sharif at his residence,” he said. “Welcome to Pakistan @narendramodi. Constant engagement is the only way to resolve all outstanding issues,” Opposition PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted. Amid reports that Modi’s visit was planned only today, Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said, “Yes, we have been informed by the Indian High Commission that PM Narendra Modi would stop over in Lahore to meet our PM today. Details are being worked out.”

The National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan met on December six in Bangkok. The development surprised many and it was announced with a joint press release only after the meeting was over. India’s Ministry of External Affairs at the time said the advisers discussed “peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, and other issues, including tranquility along the LoC (Line of Control).”

India and Pakistan broke the logjam in their ties and announced during Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad a couple of days after the meet of their NSAs that they have decided to engage in a “comprehensive” dialogue that will include peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Secretaries of the two countries are also likely to meet in Islamabad next month.

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'It Was My Country Once Upon A Time': PM Modi On His 'Visa-Free' Surprise Visit To Pakistan

Curated By : Sanstuti Nath

Last Updated: May 24, 2024, 14:06 IST

New Delhi, India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Image: News18)

PM Modi recalled his visit to Lahore in 2015, saying, "Uss taakat ko mei khud Lahore jaakar check karke aaya hu (I had personally visited Pakistan to check how powerful it is)"

Calling himself the biggest reason for Pakistan’s worries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had personally visited Lahore and checked the ‘power’ of the neighbouring country. The Prime Minister’s jibe came in reference to Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s “India should respect Pakistan because it has the nuclear bomb” remark.

During an interview with India TV , PM Modi recalled his visit to Lahore in 2015, saying, “Uss taakat ko mei khud Lahore jaakar check karke aaya hu (I had personally visited Pakistan to check how powerful it is).”

वो ताकत (पाकिस्तान की ताकत) तो मैं खुद लाहौर जाकर चेक कर आया हूं और मैं बिना किसी सिक्योरिटी चेक के सीधा चला गया था।वहां पर एक रिपोर्टर रिपोर्ट कर रहा था… हाय अल्लाह तौबा, हाय अल्लाह तौबा, ये बिना वीजा कैसे आ गए। मैंने कहा – किसी जमाने में ये मेरा ही देश था। – पीएम श्री… pic.twitter.com/8f11hPwMqZ — BJP (@BJP4India) May 23, 2024

He said at the time of his visit to Lahore, a reporter in Pakistan wondered, “Haye Allah tauba, bina visa ke aa gaye (Oh my God, he has arrived in the country without a Visa), I told them it was my country at some point of time.”

Here, the Prime Minister was referring to undivided India before partition in 1947.

The Prime Minister also responded to the allegation that India is behind ‘targeted assassinations by unknown killers’ of terrorists.

Modi said that he knows that the people of Pakistan are worried and he is the root cause of their worries. However, he added that he was unable to understand why some people in India were crying over the issue.

“I know, the people of Pakistan are nowadays worried. I also know that I am the root cause of their worries. But I also know that some people in our own country are also worried. Woh rote rahen samajh me aa sakta hai, yahan waale kyun rote hain, main samajh nahin sakta hoon (I can understand when they weep, but I cannot understand why our people weep),” he said.

Taking a veiled dig at Congress, Modi said, “A leader of a respected party, that ruled our country for 60 years and was in power during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, once alleged that it was not Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab and his men, but our people who killed our own countrymen. This is really sad. How can such a leader give a statement in favour of Pakistan and Ajmal Kasab? My head hangs in shame whenever I hear such a remark. I feel pained.”

Earlier on Thursday, while addressing an election rally in Punjab’s Patiala, Modi noted that more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, and asserted if he had been in power he would have taken Kartapur Sahib from Pakistan before freeing their troops.

He also blamed the Congress for the country’s partition, saying they did it for the sake of power.

The partition left Kartar Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab, just a few kilometres away from the border with India. “For 70 years, we could have a ‘darshan’ of the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara only with binoculars,” Modi said.

He said opportunity presented itself to take back the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in 1971 when more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered before the Indian Army and “we had the trump card in our hands”.

“Had Modi been there at that time, I would have taken Kartapur Sahib from them (made it part of Indian territory) and then freed their troops,” he said.

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Narendra Modi of India Meets Pakistani Premier in Surprise Visit

Indian prime minister visits pakistan, narendra modi became the first indian prime minister in more than a decade to visit pakistan when he made a surprise stop in lahore on friday to meet his pakistani counterpart, nawaz sharif, on his birthday..

By Ellen Barry and Salman Masood

• Dec. 25, 2015

NEW DELHI — It started with a private phone call by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi , to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan on Friday morning to wish him a happy birthday.

About four hours later, Mr. Modi landed in the Pakistani city of Lahore for an impromptu visit with Mr. Sharif, giving such little notice that Mr. Sharif’s national security adviser could not make the journey from Islamabad in time.

It was the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in almost 12 years. The tense relations between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, have long worried American policy makers, who fear that proxy wars between the two countries could flare into a real one. Mr. Modi is also highlighting India’s role in Afghanistan, including providing military assistance, which risks angering Pakistani leaders.

But with his flash of spontaneous personal diplomacy on Friday, Mr. Modi appeared to send a strong public message that the ambiguous course he has taken toward Pakistan has shifted to embrace engagement, not confrontation. It is a message that his administration has hinted at in recent weeks, seeking to sketch out a road map for talks with Pakistan on terrorism and trade.

Mr. Modi had sent mixed signals about Pakistan. He surprised many by inviting Mr. Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony last year, but three months later abruptly halted that tentative engagement by canceling high-level talks over Pakistani diplomats’ meeting with separatist leaders from Kashmir .

“In a way, he is sending a signal to everyone that there will be no more U-turns,” said Siddharth Varadarajan, a founding editor at The Wire, an Indian news site. “He is putting his personal political brand on this process. He can’t walk away that easily now.”

Mr. Modi’s day began in Afghanistan, where he helped inaugurate the new Afghan Parliament building, built over eight years with the help of about $90 million from India. He also delivered three Mi-25 attack helicopters and 500 new scholarships for “the children of the martyrs of Afghan security forces,” making a point of acknowledging Pakistan’s concerns about the Indian presence in Afghanistan.

“There are some who did not want us to be here. There were those who saw sinister designs in our presence here,” Mr. Modi said. “But, we are here because you have faith in us. You know that India is here to contribute, not to compete; to lay the foundations of future, not light the flame of conflict; to rebuild lives, not destroy a nation.”

The first that outsiders — including his own Indian constituency — heard of his plans to visit Mr. Sharif in Pakistan was when Mr. Modi made a show of casually mentioning it on his Twitter account : “Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi.”

Mr. Modi soon arrived at Mr. Sharif’s private residence outside Lahore, meeting the Pakistani leader’s family at an estate decked out with decorations for the wedding of Mr. Sharif’s granddaughter. The two leaders met for almost an hour, aides said, speaking pleasantly and pledging to restart talks between the two nations.

Among the factors that may have prompted Mr. Modi to reach out is that Pakistan has a new national security adviser, said Ashok Malik, a New Delhi-based political analyst. The Indian leader, Mr. Malik said, may also have seen an opportunity for “a positive headline.”

“He realizes he needs to be seen as engaging, and he is under pressure from the West and the Saudis to engage,” Mr. Malik said. “What came across in the past year was this very combative guy, snarling at his opponents. This has allowed him to appear serious and statesmanlike.”

In an interview last week, T.C.A. Raghavan, the departing Indian high commissioner in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, said that relations between the two countries were at “a tipping point.”

For his part, Mr. Sharif has been an advocate of better ties with India, and he has been eager to enhance trade ties with it. But his desires have been viewed with suspicion and disapproval by the powerful Pakistani military establishment, which remains focused on the resolution of the longtime dispute over Kashmir and accuses India of fostering separatists in Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province.

Most of the Pakistani political opposition welcomed Mr. Modi’s visit, expressing hope that it would bring momentum for better relations. “Today is a good day for Pakistan and India,” said Aitzaz Ahsan, a leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, while talking with Geo, a private television news network.

Other analysts urged a more cautious view.

Adil Najam, the dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, said in an interview that there was a danger of overanalyzing the visit.

“I think it’s actually a good step. But that is what it is: a step, a very small step. There is a danger of reading too much into that,” Mr. Najam said, adding that false expectations eventually “become a recipe for future heartbreak.”

The last time an Indian prime minister visited Pakistan was when Atal Bihari Vajpayee went for an international conference in January 2004 and met with President Pervez Musharraf . In 1999, Mr. Vajpayee made a historic bilateral visit, riding from New Delhi to Lahore on the inaugural run of a new bus route between the countries.

In India, a leader of the opposition Indian National Congress, criticized the visit as “unannounced, unprecedented,” and unstatesmanlike.

“In the last 67-odd years, no prime minister has landed in another country in this manner,” said Anand Sharma, a senior Congress leader, asking whether Mr. Modi could claim any progress on dismantling Pakistan-based terrorist groups or punishing the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

“What are the assurances the prime minister is bringing back?” he added. “Has this process been unequivocally endorsed by the real establishment and force in Pakistan , the I.S.I. and the Pakistani Army?” The I.S.I., or Inter-Services Intelligence, is Pakistan’s powerful military spy agency, which is accused of sponsoring militant groups against India in Kashmir.

Although there appeared to be widespread support and enthusiasm in Pakistan for Mr. Modi’s visit, some observers also expressed skepticism, saying the Indian leader has a knack for playing to the news media.

“Modi was being seen as unreasonable and unnecessarily hard-line by the international community and Indian liberals due to the recent actions of his allies in supporting sectarian tensions within India,” said Moeed Pirzada, a talk show host and political analyst based in Islamabad.

“After doing a $7 billion arms deal with Putin and engaging the Afghan leadership, promising support for the Afghan spy agency, this dash to Pakistan provides a softening of his hard image,” Mr. Pirzada said, referring to a recent weapons agreement between India and Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, and to remarks Mr. Modi made in Afghanistan.

An earlier version of this article misstated the last time an Indian prime minister visited Pakistan. It was in 2004, not 1999.

How we handle corrections

Ellen Barry reported from New Delhi, and Salman Masood from Islamabad, Pakistan. Mujib Mashal contributed reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan.

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A hug and high tea: Indian PM makes surprise visit to Pakistan

By Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Krishna N. Das ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan on Friday to meet his counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, the first time an Indian premier has visited the rival nation in over a decade. The visit, requested by Modi just hours earlier before he flew back home from Afghanistan, raised hopes that stop-and-start negotiations between the nuclear-armed neighbors might finally make progress after three wars and more than 65 years of hostility. Sharif hugged Modi after he landed at the airport in the eastern city of Lahore and the two left by helicopter for Sharif's nearby family estate. "So, you have finally come," Sharif told Modi, according to a Pakistani foreign ministry official who was at the meeting. "Yes, absolutely. I am here," Modi replied, according to the official. Modi phoned Sharif earlier in the day to wish him on his birthday and asked if he could make a stop in Pakistan on his way home, Pakistan's top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, told reporters. "And the PM said to him, 'Please come, you are our guest, please come and have tea with me'," he said. It was Sharif's 66th birthday and the family home was festooned with lights for his grand-daughter's wedding on Saturday. Modi and Sharif talked for about 90 minutes and shared an early evening meal before the Indian leader flew back home. "Among the decisions taken was that ties between the two countries would be strengthened and also people-to-people contact would be strengthened so that the atmosphere can be created in which the peace process can move forward," Chaudhry said. The next step will be for the two countries' foreign secretaries to meet in the middle of next month, he added. Modi was on his way back from a visit to Russia. He stopped off in the Afghan capital Kabul earlier on Friday, where he inaugurated a new parliament complex built with Indian help. The Lahore visit comes after India and Pakistan resumed high-level contacts with a brief conversation between Sharif and Modi at climate change talks in Paris late last month, part of efforts to restart a peace dialogue plagued by militant attacks and long-standing distrust. A spokesman at Sharif's office earlier told Reuters the two leaders were to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, the most contentious issue dividing the nuclear-armed rivals. A close aide to Modi said the visit was a spontaneous decision by the prime minister and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and that it should not be seen as a sudden shift in India's position. "But yes, it's a clear signal that active engagement can be done at a quick pace," the aide said, declining to be identified. DEEP MISTRUST Mistrust between India and Pakistan runs deep. Modi's visit is the first by an Indian prime minister to Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed in the Indian city by militants trained in Pakistan. The two countries were born out of British colonial India in 1947, divided into Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. Modi, a Hindu nationalist, came to power in 2014, and has authorized a more robust approach to Pakistan, giving security forces the license to retaliate forcefully along their disputed border and demanding an end to insurgent attacks in Indian territory. In Afghanistan, many believe that Islamabad sponsors the Taliban insurgency to weaken the Kabul government and limit the influence of India. Pakistan rejects the accusation but it has struggled to turn around perceptions in Afghanistan, where social media users sent out a stream of glowing commentary on Modi's visit, contrasting the parliament building with the destruction wrought by Taliban suicide bombers. Nalin Kohli, a spokesman for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, said in New Delhi that India was ready to take two steps forward if Pakistan took one to improve ties. 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 canceled in August after ceasefire violations across the border. "If the decision is not preposterous then it is utterly ridiculous," Congress leader Manish Tewari said. Opening the parliament building in Kabul, Modi pledged India's support for the Afghan government and urged regional powers, including Pakistan, to work together to foster peace. "We know that Afghanistan's success will require the cooperation and support of each of its neighbors," he said. "And all of us in the region - India, Pakistan, Iran and others – must unite in trust and cooperation behind the common purpose and in recognition of our common destiny." As well as the parliament building, India is also supplying three Russian-made Mi-35 helicopters to Afghanistan's small air force, adding badly needed capacity to provide close air support to its hard-pressed security forces. (Additional reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in LAHORE; James Mackenzie in KABUL, Rupam Jain Nair and Sankalp Phartiyal in NEW DELHI; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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India’s Modi Makes a Surprise Visit to Pakistan

E ven before he formally took office as India’s Prime Minister after his landslide electoral victory in 2014 , Narendra Modi showed a knack for wielding what can be a potent diplomatic weapon—the element of surprise.

In the days after his Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) triumph, as the collective Indian commentariat speculated about how he might go about implementing his campaign pledges to reinvigorate the Indian economy, Modi confounded expectations by turning first to foreign policy with an invitation to regional leaders to attend his swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi. In subsequent months, even as questions mounted about his domestic agenda, Modi embarked on an energetic campaign to reach out to foreign capitals, both in India’s South Asian neighborhood and beyond. Few had expected Modi, until his election a regional leader who portrayed himself as an economic reformer, to spend much time on foreign policy.

The biggest surprise of all, however, was yet to come: on Christmas Day, as he completed a visit to Afghanistan, Modi unexpectedly announced a stopover in the Pakistani city of Lahore to greet Nawaz Sharif, the leader of India’s arch regional foe, on his 66th birthday.

Distrust between the two countries runs deep. Since independence from Britain in 1947, the now nuclear-armed neighbors have fought multiple wars, including over the Kashmir region, which is claimed by both nations. New Delhi has repeatedly blamed Pakistan for abetting terrorism against India, a charge Islamabad rejects. The two countries share a highly militarized border that regularly witnesses bloody skirmishes between the two sides.

News of Modi’s visit, the first by an Indian leader in over a decade, broke via Twitter. India’s Prime Minister is one of the world’s most social media savvy politicians, with a following second only to U.S. President Barack Obama. First came a tweet from Modi’s official account saying that he had spoken to Sharif on his birthday:

Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & wished him on his birthday. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2015

And then the headline, communicated in 115 characters:

Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2015

By the time he landed in Pakistan later in the afternoon, India’s array of boisterous news television stations were buzzing with instant reactions Modi’s surprise move (producers quickly thought up Twitter hastags to drive the coverage, with one channel pushing #ModiPakPitstop, while another went with #Birthdaydiplomacy).

Sharif was among the regional leaders in attendance at Modi’s inauguration in May 2014. His visited touched off hopes of a revival in stalled peace talks between the neighbors. But the initiative faltered , as the two countries traded barbs over plans by the Pakistanis to meet separatist leaders from Kashmir. Another attempt to revive talks earlier this year also came to naught .

But a fresh thaw appeared to be setting in earlier this month when, following a brief meeting between Modi and Sharif on the sidelines of the Paris climate change conference in November, the two countries’ national security advisors met in Thailand. Then came a visit to Pakistan by India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, who announced plans to revive a dialogue process between the two countries.

“This visit is both surprising and not that surprising, if you consider what has happened recently. Clearly, there is an effort to ensure that there is some engagement between the countries, which is positive,” says Ashok Malik, a fellow at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think tank.

How the dialogue between the two countries now unfolds remains to be seen. Despite expressing his wish to visit Pakistan, Modi’s predecessor, Manmohan Singh, who headed a Congress-led government, never made it across the border, with tensions between two countries rising in the aftermath of the November 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai. India continues to press Pakistan to act against Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the terror group that waged the Mumbai attacks and whom New Delhi accuses of masterminding the killings.

“It is true that there continue to be issues between the two countries, but the broader message [from Modi’s stopover] is that there is no substitute for a certain minimum engagement,” says Malik. “This is something that [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee [the last Indian leader, also from the right-wing BJP, to visit Pakistan in 2004] and even Singh realized. Finally, a year and a half on, Modi is coming around to the same view.”

Reacting to Modi’s stopover in Pakistan, the Congress, now in opposition, criticized the Prime Minister. “The move, if not preposterous, is utterly ridiculous,” Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari told India’s NDTV television station. “PM Modi’s adventures will have serious implications.”

Returning home later on Christmas Day, Modi could also face criticism from hawks within his own party’s ranks who object to any kind of engagement with Pakistan. “There could be pushback from a section of his supporters,” says Malik. “But he has to shrug it off and move on.”

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Indian PM on surprise visit to Pakistan

Indian prime minister narendra modi has made a surprise visit to pakistan to meet his counterpart, nawaz sharif..

Indian PM Narendra Modi has made a surprise visit to Pakistan. Source: AAP

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Modi and Biden pull up Pakistan as Indian prime minister wraps up high-profile US visit

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India and the US “strongly condemned” cross-border terrorism and called on Pakistan to disallow the use of its soil for terrorist attacks in a joint statement that declared the two countries “ among the closest partners in the world ”.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Joe Biden held more than three hours of bilateral, closed-door talks, followed by a 400-person soiree and a joint statement.

Apart from announcements of some landmark deals , the statement included a warning over rising tensions in the East and South China Sea, Ukraine , North Korea and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and Myanmar.

The US and India “stand together to counter global terrorism and unequivocally condemn terrorism ” in all its forms and manifestations, the joint statement on Pakistan said.

Mr Modi and Mr Biden “strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks,” it said.

India has long accused Pakistan of helping Islamist militants wage a proxy war in its part of Kashmir since the late 1980s. Pakistan denies the accusation and says it only provides diplomatic and moral support for Kashmiris seeking self-determination.

The two neighbours have fought three wars, including two over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both claim in full, but rule in part.

“President Biden and Prime Minister Modi reiterated the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizb-ul-Mujhahideen,” the joint statement said.

The two leaders announced a flurry of deals to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties and highlight new private sector investments.

Major announcements were made for US visa relaxations for Indians, US chipmaker firm Micron’s investment in Gujarat and an agreement to make fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force among others, according to the joint statement.

India signed a deal to buy 31 drones made by General Atomics worth slightly over $3bn and joined the US-led Artemis Accords on space exploration to work with Nasa on a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024.

Frustrated over India’s close ties with Russia amid its war in Ukraine, Washington wants India to be a strategic counterweight to China and sees India as a critical partner.

Locked in its own territorial dispute in the Himalayan mountains with China , Mr Modi refrained from mentioning Beijing directly in his speeches.

“The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo Pacific,” Mr Modi said addressing a joint meeting of Congress. “The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership.”

Lawmakers warmly welcomed Mr Modi to the House chamber with a loud standing ovation.

As he approached the dais, they lined up to shake his hand, with some in the gallery even chanting his name. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and others escorted the prime minister into the room.

The joint statement also alluded to Beijing as Mr Biden and Modi expressed concern over “unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force”.

They also called for “the maintenance of freedom of navigation and overflight, in addressing challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the East and South China Seas”.

Without mentioning Russia, the two leaders “expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences”.

In more light-hearted moments, Mr Biden joked over their sobriety, saying “neither of us drinks” as the two raised a toast with glasses of ginger ale. Mr Biden drank to the health of “two great nations, two great friends, and two great powers”.

Mr Modi also joked about being able to sing.

“I know your hospitality has moved your guests to sing. I wish, I too, had the singing talent,” Mr Modi said in reference to South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s rendition of “American Pie” in the White House.

“I could have also sang before you all.”

He brought up his 2014 visit and said he will make up for not eating then as he was on a fast. Mr Modi said Mr Biden had kept asking him what he could eat.

“But it was not possible for me to eat anything and you were quite concerned about it,” he said. “Well today, I’m making up for it. All that you desired at that time with so much affection is being fulfilled today.”

Additional reporting by agencies

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Today's Paper | June 10, 2024

Modi returns to india after surprise pakistan visit.

LAHORE: Indian premier Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi after a surprise visit to Lahore where he was received by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other Pakistani officials.

Modi and Nawaz also held a brief meeting at the latter's Raiwind residence. This was the first time an Indian premier visited Pakistan in more than a decade.

Both leaders flew to Raiwind from Lahore airport in a chopper, where Modi briefly attended PM Nawaz's grand daughter's wedding ceremony and then held a brief meeting with his Pakistani counterpart.

A goodwill visit

Foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry while briefing media about Indian PM's visit said that Mr Modi telephoned PM Nawaz and expressed his desire to visit Pakistan on his way back from Kabul.

"It was a goodwill visit and the two sides decided to understand each other's reservations and restart the comprehensive dialogue in a positive manner," said Chaudhry.

The foreign secretary revealed that during the brief meeting, the two PMs decided that as a part of the comprehensive dialogue, the foreign secretaries of the two countries will meet in mid-January.

Answering a question, Chauhdry said that the PM's adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz and National security adviser Nasir Janjua too would have attended the meeting between the two PMs if the Indian PM had informed about his visit earlier.

He added that the two sides decided to collectively work towards the common goal of fighting poverty and increase people to people contact in order to open new avenues for peace and mutual cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.

Modi's account

Upon returning to New Delhi, the Indian PM said that he was deeply touched by Prime Minister Nawaz Sahrif's gesture of welcoming him and accompanying him at Lahore airport when he left.

In a series of tweets, Modi said that his meeting with Sharif family at their family home became a 'double celebration' due to the Pakistani PM's birthday and his granddaughter's marriage.

A groundbreaking tweet

The visit itself was announced in a novel way – on Twitter.

Modi said he would stop over in Lahore on his way to New Delhi from Afghanistan.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, responding to Modi's announcement, said on Twitter: "That's like a statesman. Such should be the relationship between neighbours."

Congress questions visit

India's major opposition party, Congress, questioned Modi's visit to Pakistan, saying serious information like this should not have been revealed through Twitter, reported Times of India .

"It is unfortunate that we get to know about prime minister's visit through a tweet... India and Pakistan relations are not so good as yet that he stops over there on his way back from another country," Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar told IANS.

Congress leader Manish Tewari called it an "adventure" by the Indian prime minister.

Modi arrived in Kabul on Friday, where he inaugurated the country's new parliament building, a project initiated by the Indian government in 2007 as a mark of friendship and cooperation to help rebuild war-torn Afghanistan.

The last meeting between Modi and Nawaz took place in November on the sidelines of the 21st UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, where the two premiers exchanged pleasantries and had a friendly chat.

Know more: Nawaz, Modi meet on sidelines of Paris climate summit

In a breakthrough, Pakistan and India earlier this month agreed to reinitiate a comprehensive dialogue process during Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Islamabad for the 'Heart of Asia' conference.

Since Modi's ascent to power, tensions between the two countries have remained high, with foreign secretary-level talks cancelled last year and security advisers' dialogue abandoned in August this year.

But the relationship thawed after Modi and Sharif resumed high-level contacts with a brief conversation at a climate change summit in Paris last month and their national security advisers met in Bangkok earlier this month.

Related: Pakistan, India agree to restart ‘comprehensive’ dialogue process

The brief and unannounced meeting between the two security advisers in Bangkok and a joint statement they issued showed New Delhi rowing back from its recent position and agreeing to discuss Jammu and Kashmir in the otherwise familiar mix of issues.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told the National Assembly that the foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India will meet soon to discuss modalities regarding the bilateral dialogue which will include matters related to peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage, Tulbul Navigation Project, economic and commercial cooperation, counter-terrorism, narcotics control and humanitarian issues, people to people exchanges and religious tourism.

Swaraj told the Indian parliament last week that war is not an option and dialogue is the way forward with Pakistan to fight the ‘shadow of terror'.

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دوسری شادی کرنے والے مردوں کا پہلے ہی افیئر چل رہا ہوتا ہے، حبا علی خان

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فلسطین میں جاری نسل کشی مذہبی ہے یا صرف زمین پر قبضے کی جنگ؟

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Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Angus MacSwan

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Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, who primarily covers US politics and national affairs in his current role. His past breaking news coverage has spanned across a range of topics like the Black Lives Matter movement; the US elections; the 2021 Capitol riots and their follow up probes; the Brexit deal; US-China trade tensions; the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan; the COVID-19 pandemic; and a 2019 Supreme Court verdict on a religious dispute site in his native India.

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As India’s Modi drags Pakistan into election campaign, will ties worsen?

Unlike in 2019, Pakistan was largely absent from India’s election rhetoric. Now that’s changed – after a three-word social media post. What’s next for the neighbours?

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s former information minister, Fawad Chaudhry , says he did not realise that a three-word post on social media platform X on May 1 would inject his country into a heated conversation it had otherwise skirted until then: India’s noisy election campaign.

“Rahul on fire …” he wrote, reposting a video clip of Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the Indian opposition Congress party, in which he could be seen criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).

Keep reading

India’s opposition parties to jointly contest 2024 elections against modi india’s opposition parties to jointly ..., will modi win 400 seats in india’s election the south holds the answer will modi win 400 seats in india’s ..., is india behind targeted killings in pakistan what we know is india behind targeted killings in ..., ‘most vexing’ test: can pakistan’s sharifs revive talks with india’s modi ‘most vexing’ test: can pakistan’s ....

Rahul on fire …. https://t.co/6pi1mL0bQN — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) May 1, 2024

Chaudhry’s post, which came in the midst of India’s massive election process that spans seven different voting days, starting in April and ending in June, immediately went viral, racking up more than 1.8 million views. It was retweeted 1,800 times and received over 1,500 replies.

Among those who responded was Amit Malviya, the boss of the BJP’s information technology wing, who oversees the party’s vast social media machinery. Malviya accused Chaudhry of promoting Congress leader Gandhi.

“Is the Congress planning to contest election in Pakistan? From a manifesto, that has imprints of the Muslim league to a ringing endorsement, from across the border, Congress’s dalliance with Pakistan can’t get more obvious,” Malviya wrote.

The Muslim League, one of pre-Partition India’s major political forces, was behind the movement that led to the creation of Pakistan.

Ch Fawad Hussain, who served in the Imran Khan cabinet, as Minister for Information and Broadcasting, is promoting Rahul Gandhi. Is the Congress planning to contest election in Pakistan? From a manifesto, that has imprints of the Muslim league to a ringing endorsement, from… pic.twitter.com/XllqlWdlAR — Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) May 1, 2024

A day later, Modi himself referred to Chaudhry’s post during an election rally in his home state of Gujarat.

“You must have heard. Now, Pakistani leaders are praying for Congress,” Modi said. “Pakistan is too keen to make the prince [Gandhi] the prime minister. And we already know that Congress is the disciple of Pakistan. The Pakistan-Congress partnership is now fully exposed.”

Since then, Pakistan has repeatedly figured in speeches of Modi and senior BJP leaders like Home Minister Amit Shah as a battering ram with which to both target the opposition and demonstrate the government’s muscular response during tensions with India’s western neighbour.

After a veteran Congress leader referred to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, Modi used a crude, Hindi sexist metaphor to suggest that his government would show Pakistan its place. Shah, in a speech, said that India under Modi had given a “befitting reply” to “terrorism” from Pakistan.

Modi accused the Congress-led opposition INDIA alliance of batting for Pakistan, giving the neighbour a “clean chit” when it has been accused of “terrorism.”

That increased emphasis on Pakistan contrasts sharply with the months of campaigning that preceded May, when relations between the neighbours were virtually nonexistent as an election theme.

Chaudhry, whose post seemingly set it all off, said he was stunned. “I was not expecting this kind of reaction, particularly from their PM Modi,” the politician told Al Jazeera.

Pakistan’s government has also hit back at comments by Modi and Shah, terming them an “unhealthy and entrenched obsession with Pakistan”.

The statement, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 14, said the comments by Indian leaders revealed a “deliberate intent” to exploit hyper-nationalism for electoral gains.

“The bravado and jingoism exhibited by Indian leaders expose a reckless and extremist mindset. This mindset calls into question India’s capacity to be a responsible steward of its strategic capability,” the statement further said.

Yet a Pakistani infusion in Indian elections is not new; in the past, it has on occasion even become a dominant flavour.

A nationalist narrative

The two neighbours have had a tense relationship since they became sovereign states in August 1947, after the end of British colonial rule in the subcontinent. The nuclear-armed nations have fought three major wars, and share a contentious border in the Himalayan region of Kashmir , which they both claim in full but rule only in parts.

Modi and his BJP won a second consecutive term in power in the 2019 election, in which the party’s campaign heavily focused on Pakistan.

On February 14, 2019, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying Indian paramilitary forces in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 46 soldiers. The Pakistan-based armed group Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility. Pakistan condemned the attack and denied any involvement. But India has long accused Pakistan of sheltering groups like the Jaish-e-Muhammad.

Days later, on February 26, Indian fighter jets crossed the Line of Control – the de facto border between the two nations in parts of Jammu and Kashmir – and bombed what New Delhi claimed were hideouts of armed fighters preparing to target India.

Pakistan hit back a day later, sending its own fighter jets into Indian-controlled territory, shooting down an Indian jet and arresting the pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman, who was released two days later.

The nearly week-long skirmish between the two days brought the two nuclear-armed nations to the brink of war, merely weeks before the Indian election that year.

Subsequently, Pakistan remained a key part of the election campaign. After multiple independent think tanks and analysts concluded, based on their investigations, that Indian jets had not hit any target of significance when they entered Pakistan-controlled territory, opposition parties asked Modi’s government for evidence of the success it had claimed in the mission.

Modi flipped those questions on their head, alleging that they showed how the opposition did not trust India’s armed forces and instead believed Pakistan – which had also denied any major damage from Indian strikes – more.

Though the Indian PM has once again brought Pakistan into the election campaign, Walter Ladwig, a senior lecturer of international relations at London’s King’s College, said that compared with 2019, Islamabad was now a secondary concern for New Delhi, with Beijing becoming the “principal foreign policy challenge”.

“It is true that the events of the Balakot attack in 2019 were used in the campaign, but that was a pretty unusual occurrence,” Ladwig said, referring to the town in Pakistan that Indian jets bombed. “In this election, I see the invocations of Pakistan as a way of distracting attention from the fact that India has lost territory to China and the government has been unable to significantly improve the situation or achieve a return to the pre-2020 status quo.”

Ladwig was referring to the clashes between India and China in June 2020 in the Himalayan region of Galwan, in which more than 20 Indian soldiers died, whereas China lost four soldiers.

Since then, many independent analysts have pointed to evidence that the People’s Liberation Army has taken over chunks of territory India previously controlled along their disputed border. The Indian government denies it has lost any land to China.

Is it all rhetoric?

Despite the reaction to his post on May 1, Chaudhry doubled down, and two days, he later posted another message, suggesting that religious minorities in India could provide a robust challenge to the BJP if they united.

If Modi g and BJP can be so rattled by my one tweet imagine what Muslims, Christian’s, Sikhs and Enlightened and progressive Hindus together can do? These classes must unite to defeat narrative of division and hatred support anyone who can stop menace of Modi be it Rahul or Mumta… — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) May 3, 2024

A few days later, Modi once again insinuated a pact between the Congress party and Pakistan, without offering any evidence.

“The Congress’s cross-border B-team has become active. Tweets are coming in from across the border to lift the Congress’s morale. In return, the Congress is giving Pakistan a clean chit in cases of terrorism,” he said.

For Qamar Cheema, an expert on international affairs and executive director of Sanober Institute, an Islamabad-based think tank, the references to Pakistan in the campaign reflect the “changing nature of the idea of India”, from a secular state to a Hindu majoritarian polity.

What happens if the BJP wins again?

Many opinion polls suggest that Modi and the BJP are firm favourites to return to power for a third time.

If that happens, Chaudhry, the former Pakistani minister, said bilateral ties – already barely functional – would suffer further.

“If BJP and Modi win the election by sweeping the polls, the way they are claiming, relations with Pakistan will not improve, but instead, deteriorate even more,” he said.

But some analysts believe that despite Modi’s rhetoric, Pakistan’s endemic economic problems and India’s desire to focus its attention on the threat from China give both New Delhi and Islamabad an incentive to significantly improve relations.

Several Indian governments in recent decades, Ladwig pointed out, had tried – but failed – to work with their Pakistani counterparts to improve bilateral relations. In his first term, Modi too made a surprise visit to Pakistan , as the neighbours tried to revive talks before an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir soon after snuffed out those prospects.

“But now in his third term, Modi would be thinking about his legacy,” Ladwig said. “Some sort of lasting rapprochement with Pakistan” could serve that purpose, he added.

• You Are At:

Why Pakistan has not congratulated PM Modi on historic third term? Islamabad gives evasive reply

Narendra modi will take oath to become india's prime minister for the third consecutive time on june 9 and several leaders from south asian countries have been invited to the ceremony. despite wishes from leaders of over 50 countries, pakistan is yet to congratulate pm modi on his third term..

Narendra Modi will take oath to become India's Prime Minister for the third consecutive time on June 9. Though the BJP could not get a majority on its own in the polls, the party-led alliance secured 293 seats out of 543. The majority mark in the Lower House is 272. Leaders of several South Asian countries have been invited to attend PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Sunday (June 9). 

Pakistan's Foreign Office on Friday said it seeks "cooperative" relations with all its neighbours including India, and it has consistently advocated "constructive dialogue and engagement" to resolve all issues, including the Kashmir dispute that has become the centrepiece of the decades-long conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad, Dawn reported. "Pakistan believes in peaceful coexistence. We want peace and stability in the region," said spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch.

Why Pakistan has not congratulated PM Modi?

On being asked why Pakistan has not yet congratulated India on the results of its Lok Sabha elections, the Foreign Office gave an evasive reply, saying, "it is the right of the people of India to decide about their own leadership". Baloch also highlighted Pakistan's opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 that granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and the "vitriolic rhetoric" against Pakistan in the recent elections. 

The Foreign Office spokesperson also claimed that despite ongoing challenges in relations with India and the hostile rhetoric emanating from there, Pakistan has consistently chosen to respond responsibly. She said it was "premature" to talk about congratulating PM Modi, as the new government was yet to be sworn in. “So, I am not in a position to comment on your question,” she said.

Pakistan downgraded its ties with India after the Indian Parliament suspended Article 370 on August 5, 2019, a decision that Islamabad believed undermined the environment for holding talks between the neighbours. India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

Modi's oath-taking ceremony on June 9

Narendra Modi is all set to take charge as India’s prime minister on Sunday for a historic third consecutive term with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, results for which were announced on Tuesday.

The leaders who will attend PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony include Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, Mauritian PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay and Seychelles Vice-President Ahmed Afif, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Officials said special arrangements have also been made for the visit of foreign dignitaries attending the swearing-in ceremony, including enhanced protocols at three designated hotels where the dignitaries will be staying. Moreover, in addition to on-ground security, Delhi Police has issued a public advisory announcing a No-Fly Zone over the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi for two days.

(with inputs from agencies)

ALSO READ |  PM Modi guarantees stability not just in India but entire South Asia, says Pakistani-American businessman

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'PM Modi's 9-day Pak visit...': Pakistani journo drops bombshell after meeting Bajwa | Details

A Pakistani journalist has claimed that India and Pakistan were close to striking a historic "peace deal" in 2021. After meeting former Pakistani army chief, senior Pakistani journalist Javed Chaudhry made sensational claims, saying PM Narendra Modi was to travel to Pakistan in 2021, but then Pakistan PM Imran Khan backed out over the Kashmir issue at the last moment. Javed claimed that India and Pakistan had agreed to put the Kashmir issue on the back burner for the next 20 years. Watch this video to know more. #india #pakistan #peacedeal #pakjournalist #report #article #revelation #claim #javedchaudhry #qamarbajwa #kashmir #agreement #formerpakarmychief Hindustan Times Videos bring you news, views and explainers about current issues in India and across the globe. We’re always excited to report the news as quickly as possible, use new technological tools to reach you better and tell stories with a 360 degree view to give you a better understanding of the world around you.

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'Sunday will be a double delight for Indians': Danish Kaneria on India vs Pakistan clash and PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony

N EW DELHI: India's focus on Sunday will be split between two significant events: the high-stakes T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan, and the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi for his third term as Prime Minister.

The oath ceremony is scheduled for 7:15 PM at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, just 45 minutes before the start of the India-Pakistan match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, which kicks off at 8:00 PM IST.

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria extended his congratulations to PM Modi ahead of his swearing-in ceremony and predicted a "double delight" for Indians with Modi's inauguration and an Indian victory over Pakistan.

"I want to congratulate Narendra Modi on becoming Prime Minister of India again. He has done a lot for the nation. Sunday will be a double delight for Indians, with Modi's oath-taking ceremony and India beating Pakistan in New York," Kaneria told IANS.

Pakistan's campaign in the tournament got off to a rocky start with a surprising defeat to the USA, which ended in a Super Over. In contrast, India had a comfortable victory over Ireland in their opening game. The upcoming match against India is crucial for Pakistan; a loss could jeopardize their chances of advancing to the Super 8, especially with the USA in a stronger position.

Kaneria offered a critical view of the current Pakistan team, attributing their struggles to internal issues.

"Their ego never ends, their intentions are not clear. They form teams based on families and relatives; no one thinks about the country. This is not how a team is made. If you’re being unfair to players’ careers, then this is what will happen. What happened with Pakistan in the first game was always going to happen," he added.

(With inputs from IANS)

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India's Modi Sworn In For Third Term After Election Setback

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ADDS Kashmir bus attack, CHANGES byline

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in on Sunday for a third term after worse-than-expected election results left him reliant on coalition partners to govern.

Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled outright for the past decade but failed to repeat its previous two landslide wins this time around, defying analysts' expectations and exit polls.

He was instead forced into quick-fire talks with coalition partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which guaranteed him the parliamentary numbers to govern.

His office said he would appoint a 71-member cabinet, including 11 NDA ally ministers, without adding further details. Modi's previous cabinet had 81 ministers.

Flanked by top BJP officials and party leaders of his coalition, Modi vowed in a ceremony marking his formal assumption of power to "bear true allegiance" to the constitution.

Honour guards lined the steps of the presidential palace where thousands gathered to watch Modi, dressed in a flowing white kurta shirt and blue waistcoat, take the oath.

The cheering crowd also included adoring BJP loyalists, as well as celebrities such as Bollywood legend Shahrukh Khan and billionaire tycoons Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, key Modi allies.

South Asian leaders from neighbouring Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka attended the ceremony, however neighbouring rivals China and Pakistan did not.

But celebrations were overshadowed after police said gunmen had ambushed a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in Indian-administered Kashmir shortly before the ceremony began.

The bus then tumbled into a ravine killing at least nine people.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, and both claim the high-altitude territory in full.

Rebel groups have waged an insurgency since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan, but violence fell drastically after 2019, when Modi's government cancelled the region's limited autonomy.

Senior opposition leader, Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge, condemned the "gruesome terror attack", saying that Modi's "chest-thumping propaganda of bringing peace and normalcy... rings hollow".

Larger coalition parties have demanded hefty concessions in exchange for their support.

With Modi yet to announce details of his cabinet, the line of lawmakers also taking the oath of office was keenly watched.

Indian media reported widely that the top jobs, including the four most powerful posts, would remain in the BJP's grip.

Modi was followed immediately by top BJP aides Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari -- the defence, interior and transport ministers in his last government respectively.

The first among the BJP's coalition members was H.D. Kumaraswamy from the Janata Dal (Secular) party.

Other coalition leaders to take the oath included Ram Mohan Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the largest BJP ally with 16 seats, and which India media reports has extracted four cabinet positions.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh also took the oath, from the BJP's next biggest ally the Janata Dal (United) with 12 seats, which has reportedly two minister posts.

But analysts said that the coalition will shift parliamentary politics and force Modi's once domineering BJP into a more conciliatory approach.

"In the past, the BJP has had confidence because of its sheer majority," said Sajjan Kumar, head of the Delhi-based political research group PRACCIS.

"The coalition will now force the BJP to engage in more consultation."

Political analyst Zoya Hasan of Jawaharlal Nehru University told AFP that Modi faced potential challenges ahead -- warning he may be "meeting his match" in the "crafty politicians" of among his coalition allies.

At the same time, Modi's chief rival Rahul Gandhi was nominated on Saturday to lead India's opposition in parliament, after he defied analysts' forecasts to help the Congress party nearly double its parliamentary numbers.

It was Congress's best result since Modi was swept to power a decade ago, rescuing the party from the political wilderness.

Gandhi is the scion of the dynasty that dominated Indian politics for decades and is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.

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India's Modi Sworn In For Third Term After Election Setback

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Pakistan says 'premature' to congratulate PM Narendra Modi on electoral win

Pakistan has deemed it premature to congratulate pm modi on his electoral victory and emphasised the need for a conducive environment for peace and dialogue between the two nations..

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• Pakistan says government formation process still in progress in India
• Stresses the need for a conducive environment for peace and dialogue
• Reiterates its desire for cooperative ties and resolving disputes with India

Ahead of Narendra Modi's swearing-in as the Prime Minister, Pakistan on Friday said it was "premature" for the country to congratulate the Indian Prime Minister. The statement by Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch came after she was asked whether her country had officially congratulated Narendra Modi on winning the general elections.

"We do not have any comments on their electoral process," Baloch said, adding that since the formation of government was going on in India, it is "premature" to talk about congratulating the Indian Prime Minister.

She also said it was the right of the people of India to decide about their own leadership.

Addressing her weekly press briefing, Baloch said Pakistan desired "cooperative ties" with all neighbours, including India, and resolution of disputes through talks.

Baloch also said Pakistan has been acting in a "responsible manner, notwithstanding the difficulties and rhetoric coming from India".

"Pakistan has always desired cooperative relations with all its neighbours including India. We have consistently advocated constructive dialogue and engagement to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir," she said.

Pakistan downgraded its ties with India after the Indian Parliament suspended Article 370 on August 5, 2019, a decision that Islamabad believed undermined the environment for holding talks between the neighbours.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

"Pakistan believes in peaceful co-existence. We hope that India will take steps to create a conducive environment for the advancement of peace and dialogue and resolution of long-standing disputes for the mutual benefit of the peoples of Pakistan and India," Baloch said at the briefing.

Narendra Modi is all set to take charge as India's Prime Minister on Sunday for a historic third consecutive term with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, the results for which were announced on June 4. Published By: Vani Mehrotra Published On: Jun 8, 2024 ALSO READ | Ex-BrahMos engineer gets life term for spying for Pakistan intelligence agency ALSO READ | Pakistan Army gets minority woman brigadier in historic first

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India’s Modi elected as leader of coalition and set to form new government

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi displays a letter from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, inviting him to form the next central government, outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, India, Friday, June 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to the media outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan after receiving a letter from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, inviting him to form the next central government, in New Delhi, India, Friday, June 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets supporters as he arrives at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters after the election results were announced, in New Delhi, India, June 4, 2024. PM Modi on Friday was formally elected as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance coalition, which won the most number of seats in the country’s national election after his political party failed to win a majority on its own.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is garlanded by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Rajnath Singh, left, party President JP Nadda, right, and Amit Shah, at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters after the election results were announced, in New Delhi, India, June 4, 2024. PM Modi on Friday was formally elected as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance coalition, which won the most number of seats in the country’s national election after his political party failed to win a majority on its own. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, second right, pays a visit to the veteran senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Murli Manohar Joshi, at his residence, in New Delhi, India, Friday, June 7, 2024. PM Modi on Friday was formally elected as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance coalition, which won the most number of seats in the country’s national election after his political party failed to win a majority on its own. (AP Photo/Dinesh Joshi)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves the residence of the veteran senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Murli Manohar Joshi after paying him a visit, in New Delhi, India, Friday, June 7, 2024. PM Modi on Friday was formally elected as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance coalition, which won the most number of seats in the country’s national election after his political party failed to win a majority on its own. (AP Photo/Dinesh Joshi)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks to address media at the forecourt of the Indian presidential palace after receiving a letter from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, inviting him to form the next central government, in New Delhi, India, Friday, June 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday was formally elected leader of the National Democratic Alliance coalition, which won the most seats in the national election after his political party failed to win a majority on its own.

The 73-year-old leader, who will be sworn in as prime minister on Sunday for a rare third term, will now form a coalition government.

Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has governed India as part of the NDA coalition over the past decade, but this is the first time under his leadership that the party has needed support from its regional allies to form a government.

“This alliance of ours reflects India’s spirit in its true sense,” Modi said after the BJP and coalition members backed him as their prime ministerial candidate. “We were neither defeated nor are we defeated ... it was an NDA government in the past, still is and will be,” he added.

Full results from India’s marathon election, which began in mid-April, were released Wednesday. The BJP won 240 seats, well below the 272 needed for a majority in a stunning outcome. Together, the parties in the NDA coalition bagged 293 seats in the 543-member lower house of parliament.

Meanwhile Modi’s political challenger, the INDIA alliance led by the Congress party, put up a stronger-than-expected fight doubling its strength from the last election to win 232 seats.

Before Modi was formally elected as the NDA leader, local media reported that the two key regional allies which can make or break his coalition government — the Telugu Desam Party in southern Andhra Pradesh state and Janata Dal (United) in eastern Bihar state — were eyeing posts in important ministries, some of which the BJP have held so far.

On Thursday, the newly emboldened opposition ramped up pressure on Modi and the BJP. In a news conference, the Congress party’s main campaigner Rahul Gandhi demanded a parliamentary investigation into what he called the “biggest stock market scam,” alleging that Modi and other top BJP ministers misled retail investors who ended up losing money.

India’s two main benchmark stock indexes hit new highs on Monday after exit polls predicted a BJP sweep, but dropped sharply on Tuesday to close down more than 5% as early vote figures trickled in.

In television interviews last month, Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah said the markets would surge when results were declared on June 4.

The BJP denied Gandhi’s accusations of a ploy between the party and exit pollsters and accused the Congress leader of trying to discourage investors.

Indian election delivers stunning setback to Modi and his party

The BJP is still poised to form a government in coalition with allies. But this is the first time Modi has failed to win a majority over a 23-year political career.

NEW DELHI — Indian voters have delivered an unexpected repudiation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership as electoral tallies Tuesday showed his Hindu nationalist party falling short of a majority in Parliament, piercing the aura of invincibility around the most dominant Indian politician in decades.

While Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party finished first and is still well positioned to form a government with its allies in the coming days, the BJP’s performance paled in comparison to its showing in 2014, when Modi swept to power on a wave of national anger over corruption, or 2019, when he was buoyed by nationalist sentiment over a border clash with Pakistan.

The shock result sparked feverish celebrations among India’s opposition parties and marked a rare setback for an Indian politician who had never failed to secure a majority in state or national elections over a 23-year political career. As prime minister for the past decade, Modi has cultivated an image as a popular strongman and a serial winner, and most political analysts had expected him to easily brush aside India’s enervated and poorly funded opposition parties once more.

In the run-up to this year’s election, the Modi administration froze some of the opposition’s bank accounts, jailed some of their leaders on corruption- and tax-related charges, and enjoyed almost uniformly laudatory coverage by mainstream media companies controlled by Modi allies, spurring warnings within India and abroad that truly competitive elections could be vanishing from the world’s largest democracy.

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Yet Tuesday’s results showed that “India’s democracy is not as dead as we thought; that is for sure,” said Devesh Kapur, a political scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. “This electoral surprise shows that voters still have an independent mind. Otherwise this juggernaut would not have stalled.”

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Whereas the BJP comfortably won a parliamentary majority on its own in 2014 and 2019, it now needs to work with allies to control the minimum 272 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha lower house needed to form a government. As of late Tuesday, the BJP was on track to win roughly 240 seats, with the 272 number firmly out of reach.

The reliance on coalition partners is likely to serve as a check on Modi’s power in the third term, Kapur said. “The judiciary, the media and civil society had been cowed down,” he said. “There will now be more checks and balances if the opposition has wind in its sails.”

Late Tuesday, Modi struck a defiant tone as he presented his leadership as the only choice “if 21st-century India wishes to progress.” He emphasized that he would form a new government and work with smaller-party leaders to govern India as a coalition, and he pledged to hit back even harder at the opposition alliance, which he described as corrupt.

“When the corrupt congregate to safeguard their political interests and transcend all limits of shame, it strengthens corruption,” he told supporters. “In the third term, the … government will decisively take every step necessary to uproot corruption.”

Even before noon Tuesday, early vote counts suggested an unexpected outcome. In a rare move, television networks typically aligned with the BJP changed the photo accompanying the party logo from Modi to the party president, J.P. Nadda.

Indian stocks dropped soon after markets opened on fears that the pro-business BJP might fall short, eventually closing down 6 percent, and companies led by Gautam Adani , a billionaire seen as a Modi ally, saw as much as a fifth of their value wiped out within hours.

For the first time in years, Modi seemed vulnerable.

“The entire party structure is built around advertising around him, but the challenge this time was that they weren’t able to come up with a set of issues that they could tie around Modi,” said Neelanjan Sircar, a political scientist at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. The government “overreached,” Sircar said. “People were uncomfortable with some of what the government was doing. Some red lines were crossed.”

In the lead-up to the election, Modi and his allies exuded supreme confidence, with BJP leaders pledging to capture 400 seats and staking the campaign almost solely on Modi’s personal appeal.

Modi’s name appeared 67 times in the BJP’s campaign manifesto, overshadowing the perennial issues of “inflation” and “jobs” — mentioned once and twice, respectively. Many government welfare programs, such as free bags of grain, were marketed as “Modi’s Guarantee.” In campaign materials, the BJP featured pictures of Modi being welcomed by world leaders such as President Biden , who has sought to cultivate ties with the Indian leader as a counterweight to China.

But as the campaign unfolded, bitter recriminations over India’s religious and caste divides, often fanned by Modi himself, overshadowed discussions about his accomplishments, including improving India’s infrastructure, introducing pro-business policies and enhancing the country’s international image.

In television interviews, Modi said he was chosen by God and stressed that he had delivered to Hindus a long-sought temple to Lord Ram, which was consecrated this year on the site of a razed mosque. At rallies, he repeatedly warned lower-caste Hindus that only he could stop the rival Congress party from scrapping India’s affirmative-action programs or snatching their livestock and wedding jewelry and redistributing them to Muslims.

In the end, it was precisely voters in the devout Hindu heartland, the BJP stronghold that propelled Modi to victory in 2014 and 2019, who appeared to reject his appeals along religious lines. The BJP lost in the district of Banswara in Rajasthan state, where Modi had called Muslims “infiltrators” in a controversial speech. The Congress and Samajwadi opposition parties were poised to capture more than half of the seats in Uttar Pradesh, the same state where Modi had consecrated the grand Ram Temple with much fanfare.

The results could cast doubt over Modi’s ability to push through the rest of his agenda. BJP officials had proposed streamlining elections by conducting state assembly polls on the same day as the national election, which could further cement the party’s power, but it’s not clear whether that change will now be enacted. On the economic front, Modi also signaled that if given a strong mandate for a third term, he could push forward with labor reforms that would make hiring and firing workers easier, help local business owners, and invite foreign investment. Those reforms may also be stymied.

But even if Modi’s personal standing is diminished, New Delhi’s growing closeness with Washington will remain a constant, analysts say.

“U.S.-India remains the most consequential relationship that India has. There is no contesting that within the Indian political system,” said Indrani Bagchi, chief executive of the Ananta Aspen Center think tank.

As Tuesday progressed, supporters of both the BJP and the opposition seemed to struggle to comprehend the surprise result. By midafternoon, BJP supporters who had milled around the party headquarters in Delhi expecting raucous celebrations with DJs as in previous years began to stream out early, only to be called back by party workers. Some party members put on a brave face and argued that a competitive election was a good thing.

“Hey, in some areas, we will grow, and in some, we will decrease,” said Rekha Singh, a member of the BJP women’s wing. “If we were running alone in a country, where would the fun be?”

Across town at the Congress headquarters, Muslim men from nearby states flocked to Delhi to watch the results in lawn chairs. Nearby, Hindu women flashed their mangalsutras — the traditional Hindu wedding necklace that Modi had warned would be redistributed to Muslims — to photographers to mock the prime minister.

After Rahul Gandhi, the Congress political scion and party leader, addressed the media in the late afternoon and pushed his way through ecstatic supporters playing drums and chanting his name, the crowd began to disperse. Nidhivan Pandey, 40, hung back to soak in the scene and distribute 50-cent copies of the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu holy book.

A Hindu ascetic clad in saffron robes and a turban, Pandey cut an unusual figure at the headquarters of political party that promoted secularism. But he said he worried that the BJP was mixing religion and politics the way that leaders did in Pakistan, a neighboring country that he considered inferior to India.

“It’s time for the BJP rethink a key issue: If you are suppressing one community and uplifting another one, you’re doing a wrong thing,” Pandey said. “In a democracy, the mandate of the people is as important as the voice of God.”