Indian PM Congratulates Nawaz Sharif

New Delhi, May 13, IRNA – India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday congratulated Nawaz Sharif and his party PML(N) for their emphatic victory in elections and conveyed desire to work with him to chart ˈa new courseˈ in India-Pakistan relations. Singh also invited Sharif to visit India at a mutually-convenient time. ˈThe Prime Minister has extended his congratulations to Sharif and his party for their emphatic victory in Pakistanˈs elections,ˈ the PMO said in a statement. Singh also congratulated the people and the political parties of Pakistan for braving the threats of violence and voting in large numbers. The Prime Minister ˈexpressed Indiaˈs desire to work with the new government of Pakistan in charting a new course for the relationship between the two countries,ˈ it said. Nawaz Sharif was poised for a record third term as Pakistanˈs Prime Minister with his PML-N party today taking an unassailable lead in parliamentary elections, which was welcomed by India with whom he pledged to restart the peace process, pti reported. During the campaign, 63-year-old Sharif had vowed to revive the Indo-Pak peace process which was interrupted in 1999 by the then military ruler Parvez Musharraf who ousted him in a bloodless coup. Sharif had started the peace process with then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Sharif, served as premier during 1990-1993 and 1997-1999 but was ousted from office before he could complete his term – once on corruption charges and later because of a military coup led by Pervez Musharraf. After being deposed in 1999, he was jailed and sent into exile to Saudi Arabia. He returned to Pakistan shortly before the 2008 polls and rebuilt his party, especially in Punjab, a politically crucial province as it has more than half of the seats in the lower house of parliament./end