ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has announced that no foreign leader is being invited to the inauguration ceremony of the new prime minister, ending all speculation about important political figures visiting Pakistan to kick off the new chapter in the country’s democracy.

Foreign Office spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal, while speaking to media personnel at the weekly media briefing, said: “No foreign leaders will participate in the oath-taking ceremony”.

The swearing-in of the next prime minister is expected within the next fortnight. In the meantime preparations are afoot for the inaugural session of the newly-elected National Assembly, which would elect the new prime minister.

Spokesman hopes gesture shown by Modi by calling the PM-in-waiting will lead to improved ties

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has emerged as the largest party in the country following the elections, held on July 25. Party chairman Imran Khan is expected to lead the coalition government as prime minister.

There was some talk of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — as well as some other political leaders from the region — being invited to Islamabad to see Mr Khan take the oath. Fawad Chaudhry, a PTI leader, had made it even more interesting when he told the media that former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Navjot Sidhu and Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan were all invited to the ceremony.

Mr Khan himself, however, has reportedly stepped in to make sure that the ceremony remains modest and has decided against such celebrity guests making an appearance. Nevertheless, the PTI chief will have his close friends invited to see him take over the country.

Responding to a question about the Indian prime minister’s congratulatory phone call to Mr Khan, the FO spokesman remarked that he hoped the gesture shown by the Indian premier would lead to improved ties in the future.

“We hope that in the coming days both sides can come together to address key concerns in what is admittedly a difficult relationship. We also hope that this positive conversation can lead to the resumption of the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue — and to the holding of the Saarc summit in Pakistan,” he said.

Mr Modi had called Mr Khan on July 30 and told him that the Indian government was ready for a new phase in its relations with Pakistan.

“Pakistan has consistently maintained that peaceful coexistence is essential for mutual progress and development. It has been our principled position that the only way to resolve any issue is through comprehensive result-oriented dialogue,” Dr Faisal recalled.

On Afghanistan, the spokesman said he was confident that high-level engagements with Kabul would continue after the formation of the new government in Islamabad.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had also phoned Mr Khan following the latter’s victory, after which the Afghan president tweeted: “I just spoke to Mr Imran Khan and congratulated him on the victory in parliamentary elections. We both agreed to overcome the past and to lay a new foundation for a prosperous political, social and economic future of both countries.”

Dr Faisal, while referring to the recent positive trajectory in Pak-Afghan ties, recalled that Kabul and Islamabad have had high-level engagements in the past 12 months.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2018