Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his congratulatory message and said he desired peace and cooperative ties between the two countries and the resolution of outstanding disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir. Modi on Monday was one of the first leaders to wish Sharif on Twitter minutes after he assumed office as Pakistan’s 23rd Prime Minister.

“Thank you Premier Narendra Modi for felicitations. Pakistan desires peaceful & cooperative ties with India. Peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu & Kashmir is indispensable. Pakistan’s sacrifices in fighting terrorism are well-known. Let’s secure peace and focus on [the] socio-economic development of our people,” Shehbaz Sharif said in a Twitter thread while quoting Modi’s earlier tweet. 

Neighbors are "not a matter of choice"; it is something "you have to live with", Sharif said in Pakistan Parliament, soon after he secured a majority in the house. Although he stressed the resolution of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, he made a fervent appeal for peaceful relations with New Delhi 

“We desire good relations with India but there cannot be lasting peace till the equitable resolution of the Kashmir issue…I would give Prime Minister Modi this advice that you should understand about the poverty, unemployment [and] sickness on both sides. People don’t have medicines, education, trade, or jobs. Why do we want to cause harm to ourselves and the coming generations?” he said in Parliament. 

Modi was quick to wish Sharif soon after he took the oath of office. 

“Congratulations to H. E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror, so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people,” Modi tweeted on Monday evening. 

Despite the mention of thorny issues of terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir, the tone of the two leaders in the initial public exchanges on social media marked a change in comparison to the last few years when former prime minister Imran Khan made scathing and rather personal comments against PM Modi, the ruling BJP and RSS. 

These developments, if seen with some recent comments by Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javad Bajwa, which are in the line with the earlier recommendations made in Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Vision documents, suggest a seemingly mutual desire and optimism in reducing bilateral tensions.
 
Avinash Paliwal, an expert on the South Asia region, suggested that there are better possibilities for progress in the otherwise tormented India-Pakistan relations with the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister of Pakistan. 

“New Delhi has relatively more (if loaded w. caution) trust in the intent & interests of Sharif Bros. & Gen. Bajwa, both of who seem to understand the need for Pakistan to diversify ties in relation to China,” Paliwal, who is an associate professor at the University of London, said in a Twitter thread. 
 
He also suggests the two countries might already be engaged in back-channel talks, but they are keeping their expectation low and real, keeping in mind the limited scope of immediate progress in tricky issues and the challenges posed by the “unforgiving” domestic  "political environment" in both countries.” 
 
In the last year, despite challenges, New Delhi and Islamabad managed to largely enforce the ceasefire along the Line of Control, as reiterated by two militaries through a joint statement last year in February. 

(SAM)