Nawaz Sharif invites Manmohan Singh to Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif, who is poised to become Pakistan's prime minister for the third time, Monday said he would invite Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to his oath-taking ceremony and reaffirmed that he would forge friendly ties with India.

Nawaz Sharif said his government would establish friendly ties with India, and added that he would invite Manmohan Singh for his oath-taking ceremony to Islamabad, reported Dawn.

He made the remark while talking to foreign correspondents at his palatial residence in Raiwind.

Unofficial results show that his party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, has emerged the single largest party in the National Assembly, with cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf standing second and the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party relegated to the third spot.

Sharif called upon the PTI to respect the mandate of the people and accept the results of the elections.

He added that his government would devise a national policy to tackle terrorism.

"We will contact every party for the purpose of forming our policy on terrorism," Sharif said.

Congratulating PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday expressed New Delhi's desire to work with the new government in the neighbouring country. He also invited Sharif to visit India.

"PM extends his congratulations to Mr. Nawaz Sharif and his party for their emphatic victory in Pakistan's elections," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted as it congratulated the people and the political parties of Pakistan for "braving the threats of violence and voting in large numbers".

"PM expressed India's desire to work with the new government of Pakistan in charting a new course for the relationship between the two countries," said another tweet.

The prime minister, in another post, invited Sharif "to visit India at a mutually convenient time".