Indian prime minister Narendra Modi delivered a blunt warning to old adversary Pakistan on his first day in the job yesterday, telling his counterpart in a rare meeting that Islamabad must prevent militants on its territory from attacking India.

Despite the directness of his message, both sides said Mr Modi’s meeting with Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif in New Delhi was cordial and they agreed to try to restart peace talks between the nuclear-armed rivals.

They also agreed to pursue normalising trade ties, which have been held hostage to distrust between their countries after fighting three wars since independence in 1947.

Mr Modi (63) invited Mr Sharif and several other south Asian leaders for his swearing-in ceremony on Monday. Unprecedented in India’s history, the invitations were seen as a reflection of Mr Modi’s eagerness to play a prominent role on the global stage following a stunning election victory for his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

After yesterday’s 50-minute meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Sharif, India said the prime minister had underlined “concerns relating to terrorism”. “It was conveyed that Pakistan must abide by its commitment to prevent its territory and territory under its control from being used for terrorism against India,” Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh told a news conference.

Mr Modi also pressed for speedy progress of trials in Pakistan of people accused of masterminding a 2008 attack on Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.

The BJP has long advocated a tough stance on Pakistan, and Mr Modi has been seen as a hardliner on issues of national security. In that respect, Mr Modi’s invitation to Mr Sharif was a surprise and raised hopes for a thaw in relations.

Mr Sharif sounded a conciliatory note, describing the meeting as a historic opportunity to turn “a new page in our relations”. But he rebuffed assertions that Pakistan was a launch pad for militants to attack India. – (Reuters)