Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Congratulates Narendra Modi On His Third Term

In the first official response from Pakistan to the newly formed Indian government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Narendra Modi on his re-election. Sharif’s message came on Monday, a day after Modi and his ministers were sworn in. Until now, Pakistan had refrained from commenting on Modi’s election victory, with the Foreign Office stating last Friday that it was “premature” to do so as the government formation process was still ongoing.

So far, there has been no official response from the Indian side to the message of Shehbaz Sharif. Modi, however, has acknowledged congratulations from other leaders, including Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained, particularly since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which brought both countries close to conflict. The situation further deteriorated after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, leading Pakistan to downgrade diplomatic ties. Unlike in 2014, when Pakistan was invited to Modi’s first inauguration, the current scenario reflects the deep freeze in bilateral relations.