NEW DELHI: Shehbaz Sharif has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating him on becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
"Thank you PM Modi for felicitations on my election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan," wrote Shehbaz Sharif on his X handle.
PM Modi had also congratulated Imran Khan in 2018 and Shehbaz Sharif in 2022.
"Congratulations to @CMShehbaz on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan," said PM Modi on March 5.
It may be recalled that diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan were downgraded in 2019 after Article 370 was abrogated in Kashmir. Pakistan expelled India’s then High Commissioner to Islamabad Ajay Bisaria and India had to reciprocate.
"I was expelled from Pakistan in 2019. The diplomatic euphemism for my exit was somewhat kinder that its characterization by the media -- my host country had decided to downgrade the bilateral relationship with India and hence the post of High Commissioner had become redundant," wrote Ambassador Bisaria in his recently released book 'Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan'.
While diplomatic ties remain downgraded, the ceasefire around the border has been maintained. Time will tell how stable the new Pakistan government is amid the economic crisis and whether they show interest in mending ties with India.
