A day after Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi invited Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leaders of all SAARC countries for his oath taking ceremony here on May 26, Islamabad on Thursday said it will announce on Friday whether Sharif will visit New Delhi or designate some senior member of his Cabinet for the event.
Hailing Modi’s invitation as a “bold move,” Pakistan said on Thursday it was unexpected and at a short notice. In this backdrop, Sharif was now holding consultations with his Cabinet besides the all-important Army and awaiting the return of his Foreign Secretary on Thursday from a foreign visit.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said a formal invitation was received but any decision by Sharif to attend the ceremony on May 26 in New Delhi will be taken late Thursday. later, the decision was postponed till Friday. Aslam indicated that it was a normal practice to nominate or depute someone on behalf of the Prime Minister.
Diplomatic sources in Islamabad said the unexpected move by Modi has left Sharif with difficult choices. “If he skips the event it will send a very negative message to India and the world but acceptance of the invitation may bring a backlash from the hardliners and hawks who consider Modi anti-Pakistani,” said a diplomat. The views of the all-powerful Pakistan Army and ISI would also be factored in before Sharif makes up his mind whether to accept the invitation or not, they added.
Media advisor to Sharif’s party Pakistan Muslim league, Nawaz Tariq Azim told an Indian television channel: “Sharif does not share the anxiety that is felt by some quarters here in Pakistan because he has got some very fond memories of the previous BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee coming to lahore and he hopes that this anxiety about Modi and his past will fade away.”
Meanwhile, other SAARC leaders including Sri lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom confirmed their participation.
Bangladesh will be represented by Speaker Shirin Chaudhury as Premier Sheikh Hasina is travelling to Japan. Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam will also be attending the ceremony.
In New Delhi, External Affairs ministry spokesperson said protocol arrangements for foreign dignitaries at the swearing-in ceremony of Modi will be overseen by a senior and seasoned diplomat. Meanwhile, BJP rejected objections by Tamil parties to the invitation to the Sri lankan President as also the Congress jibe over invitation to Sharif, saying it should be seen as a “celebration of democracy.”
“This is essentially an attempt to participate in a joyful celebration of democracy and the invite should be seen in that context,” BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
She said inviting SAARC countries is a responsible gesture for creating goodwill on the occasion when a newly-elected Prime Minister is being sworn in.
Asked about objections by certain NDA allies like MDMK on inviting Rajapaksa, she said, “I am sure they will understand the reason behind this invite.” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa said the “ill-advised” move of inviting Rajapaksa could have been avoided as it amounted to “rubbing salt into the wounds of the already deeply injured Tamil psyche.”