Pakistan's Prime Minister Will Attend India's Narendra Modi's Swearing In

Enlarge this image toggle caption Oli Scarff/AP Oli Scarff/AP

Making history, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he would travel to New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of India's new prime minister.

Narendra Modi, as you might remember, made history on his own when his BJP party drove out of power the party that had long dominated the world's largest democracy.

Sharif's attendance at Modi's swearing in will mark a first for the two countries, historical foes.

The Hindu reports:

"A statement from Mr. Sharif's office said the Prime Minister had been invited this week by the BJP to attend the ceremony. Mr. Sharif has already congratulated Mr. Modi over his party's landslide victory in the recent Lok Sabha elections. "State-run Pakistan Television said Mr. Sharif also would meet with President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit. "Sharif, who will reach New Delhi on Monday, would be accompanied by his Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, among others."

Sharif's spokesman, Tariq Azim, set expectations for the meeting.

"Hope this will usher in a new era between India and Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif has always said that he wants to maintain good relations with all neighbouring countries, specially with India," he told the TV station. But, he added, "We should not burden the meeting with many expectations."

The Associated Press adds a bit more context: