Pak PM Nawaz Sharif accepts invite to attend Modi’s swearing-in

Contrary to most expectations, Pakistan has accepted India's invitation to its Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, to the swearing-in of Narendra Modi on Monday as India's Prime Minister, it was officially announced in Islamabad today.

This belies the purely speculative headlines over the last couple of days that Sharif would be prevented by the Pakistan army from making the historic visit; and the speculation gained ground after the attack on the Indian embassy in Afghanistan on Friday.

Sharif's visit will be the first such in the history of the two countries, which have been inimical since the 1947 partition and have fought at least three official wars since then, apart from skirmishes major and minor.

Mohyuddin Wani, the joint secretary of the Prime Minister's office, told the media that Pakistan had accepted India's invitation to Sharif to attend Modi's swearing-in along with other South Asian leaders.

Ties have been particularly tense between India and Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Pakistan-based militants, but Sharif has consistently maintained that he wants to improve relations with India.

The invitation is also seen as a statesman-like move by Narendra Modi, generally considered a right-wing, anti-Muslim hardliner in Pakistan.