Narendra Modi greets Nawaz Sharif on Pakistan Day; India, Pak Armies exchange sweets at border

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday greeted his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Pakistan’s National Day and said India wants to have good neighbourly relations with it in an “environment free from terror and violence”, a development that comes amid continued strain in ties between the two countries. According to sources, Prime Minister Modi wrote a letter to Sharif to wish him on the Pakistan National Day. In the letter, Modi said India wants to have good relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan, the sources said. [caption id=“attachment_3172912” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif. PTI[/caption] President Pranab Mukherjee also sent a message to his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday, saying India is committed to building ties with Pakistan in an environment free from terror and violence. The Indian leaders’ greetings come amid unease in Indo-Pak ties following a series of terrorist attacks on army camps and tension along the border due to frequent ceasefire violations. Pakistan’s National Day marks the adoption of the historic Lahore Resolution in 1940 that spurred efforts to create a separate homeland for Muslims of South Asia. Meanwhile, Officers and jawans of the Indian and Pakistani armies also exchanged greetings and sweets on the occasion of Pakistan’s Resolution Day at the Poonch-Rawalakot crossing point and Mendhar Hot Spring Crossing Point in Jammu and Kashmir, an official source said. “The day is commemorated in Pakistan the Lahore Resolution passed on March 23, 1940, and adoption of the country’s first Constitution during transition from the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March, 1956,” Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS. Greetings on the occasion were conveyed to the Pakistani people and Army by the Indian side, he said. With inputs from agencies