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Imran Khan’s PTI rejects reports about inviting foreign dignitaries to oath ceremony

It was earlier reported that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is planning to invite SAARC leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Imran Khan’s PTI rejects reports about inviting foreign dignitaries to oath ceremony

Imran Khan (Photo: AFP PHOTO / AAMIR QURESHI)

Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Tuesday that the soon-to-be Prime Minister of Pakistan is not ready with plans to invite foreign dignitaries to his oath-taking ceremony.

Fawad Chaudhry, PTI spokesperson, said that a decision regarding the same will be taken only after consultations with the Pakistan Foreign Office.

“Media speculations about international dignitaries attending PM oath ceremony are not correct. We have sought the advice of Foreign Office on the matter and will decide accordingly #PTI,” he tweeted.

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It was earlier reported PTI is planning to invite SAARC leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the oath-taking of its chairman Imran Khan.

Khan, the 65-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, has emerged as the leader of the single largest party in the National Assembly after the 25 July elections. Though he is short of numbers to form a government, Khan said on Monday that he would take oath as prime minister on 11 August.

“The core committee of Tehreek-i-Insaf is considering inviting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) heads including Mr Modi and a decision on this is expected shortly,” a leader of Khan’s party told PTI.

He also termed Modi’s telephone call to Khan on his victory in the 2018 polls a welcoming sign to begin a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

Chaudhry had reportedly not ruled out inviting Modi to the swearing-in ceremony.

Modi had on Monday telephoned Khan to congratulate him on his party’s victory in the general elections and hoped that “Pakistan and India will work to open a new chapter in bilateral ties”.

Khan thanked Modi for his wishes and emphasised that disputes should be resolved through dialogue.

“Wars and bloodshed instead of resolving disputes lead to tragedies,” Khan had said.

Khan in his victory speech had also said that better relations between Pakistan and India would be “good for all of us”.

“If India’s leadership is ready, we are ready to improve ties with India. If you take on step forward we will take two steps forward,” he had said.

The relations between India and Pakistan remained tense since 2014. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had travelled to Delhi to attend Modi’s oath taking ceremony and the Indian premier had in December 2015 made a stopover in Lahore to greet his counterpart on his birthday.

The India-Pakistan ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place.

The ties between the two countries had strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016 and India’s surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The sentencing of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to death by a military court in April last year further deteriorated bilateral ties

The two sides often accuse each other of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, resulting in civilian casualties.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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