Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif lands in Delhi for historic visit

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today arrived in New Delhi to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi as India's 14th prime minister (not counting acting prime minister Gulzarilal Nanda after the demise of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri).

Modi and Sharif have set a precedent; it is the first time that an elected prime minister of Pakistan is attending the swearing-in of an Indian counterpart.

Modi has invited the heads of state of all SAARC nations including South Asian neighbours Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, as well as the Maldives. All have confirmed their presence either by attendance or by close proxy.

But remarkably enough, there seems to be no Chinese presence. India's ambivalent stand over Tibet's autonomy and its refusal to endorse China's aggressive regional ambitions may have something to do with this.

Talking to journalists at the Lahore airport before leaving for New Delhi, Nawaz Sharif said he is visiting India with a message of peace, as ''dialogue is the only solution to our problems''. He said that positive relationship with all the neighbouring countries including India is his prime traget.

Nawaz stated that he is taking the message of love and peace with him to India and he looks forward to a new beginning for the people on both sides of the border.

The officials accompanying the prime minister include adviser on national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, special sssistant on foreign affairs Tariq Fatemi, foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, political secretary Asif Kirmani, and Hussain Nawaz, the son of Prime Minister Sharif.

Sharif will meet Narendra Modi with his team on Tuesday. He will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee, who will host a private dinner for Modi and SAARC leaders.