New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan, a move that could be an icebreaker between two nations that have strained ties.

The invitation was extended during a meeting between Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New Delhi, but foreign secretary Sujatha Singh said there were no dates for the visit.

“I can’t say it will be next month or next year. The dates have to be worked out," she said at a press briefing.

Sharif was in New Delhi at the invitation of Modi to attend his oath-taking ceremony on Monday. Also attending the ceremony were leaders of other South Asian countries—the presidents of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the prime ministers of Bhutan and Nepal and the speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament. As a special gesture, Modi also invited the Prime Minister of Mauritius—a country with a sizeable number of people of Indian origin.

Modi led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to victory in the national elections, whose results were announced on 16 May. The party won 282 seats, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 336 seats in the 545-member Lok Sabha.

Modi’s meetings with the visiting leaders were “good and substantive", Singh said. All leaders including Sharif invited Modi to visit their countries and Modi has accepted the invitations, Singh said.

This is the first time that foreign leaders have been invited to the swearing-in ceremony of an Indian Prime Minister.

“From India’s perspective, a strong and promising beginning has been made at the start of the new government in our engagement with each of the countries in the South Asian region and with Mauritius," Singh said.

During his talks with Sharif, Modi “underlined our 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", Singh said.

The reference is to a 2004 understanding between the two neighbours that Pakistani soil would not be used to foment terrorism against India.

“We also expect that necessary steps will be taken in the Mumbai terror attack trial underway in Pakistan to ensure speedy progress of the case and the conviction of those responsible," Singh said. The Mumbai terror attack resulted in the death of 166 people in the hands of 10 militants from Pakistan between 26-29 November 2008. “The prime ministers agreed the foreign secretaries will remain in touch and explore how to move forward. Prime Minister Modi said the two countries could move immediately towards full trade normalization on the basis of the September 2012 roadmap," Singh said in reference to a timeline drawn up by both countries for normalization of trade relations.

Modi “shared his vision of a SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region built on partnerships for development and mutual prosperity", she said.

Ties between the two countries have been hostile mainly over the issue of Kashmir, a state that became part of India in 1947.

Sharif described the discussion as “good and constructive".

“I pointed out that we were at the beginning of our respective tenures, with a clear mandate," Sharif said. “I stressed to Prime Minister Modi that we have a common agenda of development and economic revival, which is not possible to achieve without peace and stability in the region. I urged that together, we should rid the region of instability and insecurity that has plagued us for decades. Engaging in accusations and counter-accusations would be counter-productive, I emphasized. My government, therefore, stands ready to discuss all issues between our two countries, in a spirit of cooperation and sincerity."

In his meeting with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Modi discussed the attack last week on India’s consulate in Herat in western Afghanistan. Singh quoted Modi as saying “the attack only strengthened our resolve to work together with Afghanistan" while reiterating India’s commitment to the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

In talks with Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, both sides “agreed to commence four new joint venture hydroelectric projects with a generating capacity of 2,120MW in Bhutan. They affirmed their mutual security interests, and agreed to closely coordinate and cooperate on issues relating to their national interest", Singh said.

With the Maldives, both sides “agreed to take measures to further strengthen investment and trade cooperation. The Prime Minister (Modi) expressed the government’s support to cooperation in the petroleum and natural gas sector, particularly in oil exploration as well as in the tourism and education sectors", Singh said.

After his meeting with Modi, Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said the island nation has decided to allow automatic exchange of tax-related information with India. Ramgoolam said both sides agreed “there must be a quick resolution to resolve all issues related to the direct tax avoidance agreement between the two countries".

A proposed revision of the tax treaty between the two countries has been hanging in the balance for a long time and there have been reports that Mauritius was not agreeable to certain suggestions made by India, which has been seeking to make the agreement stronger to check any possible round tripping of Indian funds through the Indian Ocean island nation.

Mauritius is worried the changes could affect its status as a tax haven, something that has contributed significantly to its economy.

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