Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said that Prime Minster-designate Narendra Modi wants to follow in the footsteps of former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
"Atalji had once said that we can choose our friends, but not our neighbors, and Narendra Modi says he wants to work like Atalji. He is a far thinking leader, and besides, our relationship has not been good with the other nations for the last ten years," said Javadekar.
India has invited leaders of all South Asian countries, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to Modi's oath-taking ceremony scheduled for May 26.
According to the Express Tribune, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam confirmed that Pakistan has received the formal invitation.
She added that it was most likely that Sharif would travel next week to New Delhi to attend the ceremony.
Nawaz was one of the first leaders to telephone Modi and congratulate him on his party's impressive election victory.
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai already confirmed to attend the ceremony.
The swearing-in ceremony, to be held at the forecourt of the historic Rashtrapati Bhavan, is likely to be attended by as many as 3,000 guests, the report added.