Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and congratulated him for his electoral victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said the Ministry of External Affairs.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted that Khan and Modi spoke about the neighbourhood first policy. “Recalling his initiative in line with his government’s neighbourhood first policy, Prime Minister Modi referred to his earlier suggestion to the Prime Minister of Pakistan to fight poverty jointly,” the MEA said. “He stressed that creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism were essential for fostering cooperation for peace, progress, and prosperity in our region.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also tweeted about Modi and Khan’s phone conversation, saying that Khan expressed desire to work together for the welfare of the people. “Reiterating his vision for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia, the Prime Minister said he looked forward to working with Prime Minister Modi to advance these objectives,” Faisal tweeted.
On May 23, Khan had posted a congratulatory tweet after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance swept the Lok Sabha elections. Khan had also expressed his willingness to work with Modi for the progress of South Asia.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Islamabad is willing to negotiate with the new Narendra Modi-led Indian government in an attempt to resolve all outstanding issues. He said that both the nations should initiate talks for the sake of prosperity and peace.
The MEA also said that Modi received calls from former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed and former Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav Nepal. “Former president Nasheed congratulated the Prime Minister on the historic mandate and noted that the relationship between the Maldives and India had deepened in recent times,” the MEA said.
Nasheed also said that close cooperation is important to “fight the forces of extremism and radicalisation”. Nepal congratulated Modi on leading the BJP to its landmark victory and “expressed confidence that India’s emergence as a front-ranking world power would qualitatively uplift the entire region”.
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