Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has confirmed his attendance at Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony to be held on May 26. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz is also expected to accompany Sharif to the event. The Pakistani premier's attendance will be a first in the history of the nuclear-armed rivals, which have fought three wars since independence in 1947.
Major parties in Jammu and Kashmir welcomed the Pakistan Prime Minister's move to accept the invitation to the swearing-in ceremony.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed the decision and hopes this would do good to the India-Pakistan relations. They hoped this would help the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and bring in resolution to the issues faced by Kashmiris.
"We welcome the decision of Pakistan premier to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of Modi as Prime Minister (on Monday)."
"We hope that the two PMs would be able to carry the public opinion in their countries and respond positively to the need for a dignified and lasting peace in the sub-continent," PDP chief Mehboob Mufti said in a statement.
"Nawaz Sharif by accepting the invitation with grace and showing respect to Modi's initiatives has introduced an element of much needed positivity to the Modi's stint as the PM of the country," she added.
She said the occasion would introduce a lot of positivity in the relations of the two neighbouring countries.
"Unfortunately, Kashmir has been the worst victim of the hostilities between the two," Mehbooba said, adding, for Jammu and Kashmir that would be the biggest gift of the new PM and it could work as a major Confidence Building Measure for developing a more inclusive agenda for his government.
National Conference's (NC) Omar Abdullah too was glad that the Pakistan PM had accepted the invitation to Modi's swearing-in. he said that this will mark a new beginning in Indo-Pak ties
"Very glad to hear Pak PM has accepted invite, shows that he can prevail over forces inimical to good relations with India," Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Abdullah said the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be closely watching the developments. "I hope that this will mark a new beginning in ties between our two countries. The people of J&K will be watching closely," he said.
The Chief Minister also opined that the Modi-Sharif handshake will overshadow the presence of other foreign dignitaries attending Modi's swearing in ceremony on Monday. "Can't help feel sorry for others taking oath or attending because the only photo op that will matter now will be the Modi-Sharif handshake," he said.
Mehbooba too said while Modi's initiative of inviting all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders was a welcome step, the focus of attention remained as to how the Pakistan Prime Minister would respond to the invite
Referring to the stalled peace process initiated by the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, she said the new beginning should lead to progress on resolution of Kashmir and other issues and the Confidence
Building Measure (CBMs) along the Line-of-Control (LoC) need to be carried further.
"There is a need for a sustained dialogue which should not get interrupted by the events as has been case in the past," she added.
(With agency inputs)
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