NEW DELHI – The government of India has decided not to invite Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to the oath-taking ceremony of re-elected Narendra Modi, it emerged on Monday .
Foreign news agency quoting sources at Indian External Affairs Ministry confirmed that Pakistani PM Imran Khan will not be invited to the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi schuduled for May 30.
Sources said leaders of member states of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Corporatisation (BIMSTEC) will attend the swearing-in ceremony; member countries of BIMSTEC include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The president of the Kyrgyz Republic, who is the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Prime Minister of Mauritius have also been invited, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.
Pakistani premier Imran Khan was amongst the first ones to congratulate Narendra Modi as he swept to power last Thursday.
Pakistan’s prime minister also telephoned his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Sunday and congratulated him on his party’s victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1131526476828893184
During the conversation, PM Khan expressed his desire for both the countries to work together for the betterment of their people.
Interestingly, former Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif was invited to the oath-taking ceremony when Modi first swept to power in 2014.
New Delhi’s refusal to attend Imran Khan could be due to recent tension between the two nuclear-armed rivals that stemmed out of the Pulwama blast in which over 40 Indian soldiers were left dead.
India pinned blame on Pakistan, however, Islamabad dismissed the allegations and sought credible evidence.
Pakistan also shot down two Indian aircraft in a dogfight and also captured pilot Abhinandan alive; he was later set free as a gesture of peace.
