ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s prime minister will attend the inauguration of India’s Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, a first for the nuclear-armed rivals, officials said Saturday.
Pakistan and India have a history of uneasy relations, and they have fought three wars over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947. The decision Saturday by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could signal a further easing of the tensions.
In Islamabad, a Foreign Ministry statement said Sharif will travel to New Delhi to attend the ceremony Monday. It added that Sharif will meet with Modi on Tuesday. Sharif’s special assistant on foreign affairs and Pakistan’s foreign minister will accompany him.
Relations between Pakistan and India froze after an attack on Mumbai in 2008 in which Pakistani militants killed 166 people. A mild thaw since has helped trade.
During the election campaign, Modi took a tough stance on Pakistan, accusing it of sponsoring terror attacks in India. But since his victory, Modi has softened his stance somewhat. Indian leaders welcomed Sharif’s decision to attend the inauguration.
