PM Modi congratulates Imran Khan for polls victory in Pakistan; reiterates peace, development

New Delhi, July 31: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Tehreek-e-Insaf Party Chairperson Imran Khan for winning Pakistan’s general elections that held on July 25.

 

PM Modi had a telephonic conversation with Imran Khan and recalled their meeting in December 2015 and conversation from that time and hoped to pick up the thread from there. PM Modi also expressed hope that democracy will take deeper roots in Pakistan.

PM Modi also reiterated his vision of peace and development in the entire neighbourhood. On the other side, Imran Khan has said that he will take oath as Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 11.

The move comes four days after Imran Khan said, "If we want to have a poverty-free subcontinent then we must have good relations and trade ties.” Importantly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party emerged victorious on July 26, winning 116 of the 270 seats.

Earlier, the MEA’s official spokesperson on Saturday last week had hoped the new government in Islamabad will work constructively to build a safe, stable and secure South Asia “free of terror” and “violence”. Raveesh Kumar had said that India desires a “prosperous and progressive Pakistan at peace with its neighbours”.

He had also said that India welcomed that the people of Pakistan have reposed their faith in democracy through general elections. “We hope that the new government of Pakistan will work constructively to build a safe, stable, secure and developed South Asia free of terror and violence,” Kumar said.

On Wednesday last week, polling began at 8 AM across the country's 85,307 polling stations and continued until 6 PM. Polling took place was held for members of the lower house of Parliament and four provincial assemblies. As many as 12,570 candidates contested for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the country's 11th General Election.

However, the election campaign was marred by violence with three candidates killed in targetted attacks and culminated with a suicide blast outside a polling station in Quetta which claimed at least 29 lives. A party can form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats out of the total 342. A single party will need at least 137 of the 272 directly-elected seats to be able to form the government on its own.