ISLAMABAD: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday congratulated Shehbaz Sharif after he took oath as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan. 

Pakistan’s parliament elected Sharif as the new prime minister following a week of political turmoil that led to the weekend ouster of Imran Khan from power. 

Modi and Erdogan were the first among foreign leaders to congratulate Sharif.

“Congratulations to H. E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan,” Modi wrote on Twitter. “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.” 

In December 2015, PM Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan to meet his then counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, who is the elder brother of the new PM. It was the first time an Indian premier had visited the rival nation in over a decade. 

It was Nawaz’s 66th birthday and festivities were on for his grand-daughter’s wedding. Modi and Nawaz talked for about 90 minutes and shared an early evening meal before the Indian leader flew back home. 

The visit, requested by Modi just hours earlier before he flew back home from Afghanistan, raised hopes that stop-and-start negotiations between the nuclear-armed neighbors might finally make progress after three wars and more than 65 years of hostility. 

In his maiden speech, Sharif also spoke of improving relations with India. 

“We want good relations with India but a durable peace can’t be possible without Kashmir’s solution,” he said, referring to a contested Himalayan territory India and Pakistan have fought several wars over. 

In a telephonic conversation with Sharif on Monday, Turkish President Erdogan told the new prime minister he was “extremely happy” about his elevation, Pakistan’s Geo News channel reported. 

“I am sure that under your leadership, Pakistan-Turkey brotherly ties will bolster,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by the broadcaster. 

In response, Sharif said he aspired to bring the countries closer during his tenure and thanked Erdogan for his call.