Through his official X account, the leader of the PML-N congratulated Modi on his recent electoral victory.
“I extend my sincere congratulations to [Narendra] Modi Ji on his third term in office. The people’s faith in your leadership is demonstrated by your party’s recent electoral win, Nawaz Sharif wrote on X.
“Replace hate with hope and seize the opportunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia,” the speaker further exhorted the prime minister of India.
In 2014, Nawaz Sharif was present at the event marking Modi’s first term as prime minister. However, for the past ten years, as Modi has intensified his Hindu nationalist agenda, the relationship has gotten worse.
In 2019, Pakistan severed diplomatic ties and ceased trading with New Delhi after to Prime Minister Modi’s largely applauded removal of Kashmir’s limited autonomy.
After the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the general election with 293 seats, a significantly smaller margin than expected and in contrast to the 234 seats obtained by now by resurgent opposition, Modi was sworn in as the prime minister of India on Sunday for a third term.
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has ruled without a challenge for the past ten years, surprised observers and exit polls by not repeating its two consecutive landslide victories.
Instead, he was compelled to engage in urgent negotiations with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of 15 lawmakers that would provide him the necessary parliamentary majority to form a government.
Read more: Nawaz Sharif Slams PTI Founder Hypocrisy
Nearly a week after the results were announced, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif also briefly congratulated his competitor, India’s Narendra Modi, on winning reelection.
In his first public post from Pakistan on X, he wrote, “Felicitations to Narendra Modi on taking oath as the prime minister of India.”
“Thank you @cmshehbaz for your good wishes,” was Modi’s response to Shehbaz Sharif’s message on X.