Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan on Friday — a significant sign the icy relationship between the two neighbors is thawing.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif greeted him at an airport in Lahore during his short layover in the city while en route to New Delhi from Afghanistan. Sharif was accompanied by his brother Shahbaz, Punjab province’s chief minister.
Modi met with his Pakistani counterpart at the official residence of the Sharif family in the Punjab town of Raiwind for impromptu talks. The Pakistan visit lasted about two hours.
“Both leaders expressed their desire to carry forward the dialogue process for the larger good of the people of the two countries,” said a statement from Pakistan’s foreign office.
“It was agreed to continue and enhance bilateral contacts and work together to establish good neighborly relations.”